


Eternal Sin

by AyameKage



Series: Sin'fully Delicious [1]
Category: Hellsing
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Drama, F/M, Gore, Horror, Humour, Post-Canon, Romance, Sexual Content, Vampirism, dash of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-11
Updated: 2016-10-16
Packaged: 2018-06-01 17:21:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 28
Words: 182,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6529141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AyameKage/pseuds/AyameKage
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thirty years later, Alucard wants nothing more than to have Integra be by his side for all eternity as his No Life Queen. But before they get a chance to truly rediscover each other after such a long separation, a new threat creeps upon them, a freak organization behind vampire burning rituals, an imposter posing as Alucard and manic priest recruiting Watchers and Seekers. Who's the mastermind behind these events? Integra will stop at nothing to find out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Home Sweet Home

**Author's Note:**

> Hello fellow readers and writers! My name is Ayame and I am a huge fan of Hellsing and I ADORE Alucard and Integra. I wanted to give them a scary romantic adventure and some fun and horror that stays in the Hellsing realm. As usual I always have humour in my stories and there will be some sexual content as well. However, saying that, this fic starts off light but it gets really intense and dark/gory later on. There is a little Seras and Pip in there as well cause they are a great couple, too!
> 
> I can't count the number of hours spent plotting and grinding my teeth on this lol! It has taken me a year to complete.
> 
> NOTE: I want to point out that this story takes place exactly where Hellsing Ultimate OVA episode 10 left off... exactly. It's the reason I felt compelled to write this story... the ending stole my heart. As for Alucard's newly gained power of omnipresence... I kept the abilities at the level shown by Schrodinger... no more or less. I have taken a few liberties regarding some powers though, things that I thought made sense after what has happened in the last 30 years. There are references in here from all Hellsing sources, including the manga. I have also thrown in a few references from Bram Stoker's Dracula. I wonder if you can find them? *grins*
> 
> Thanks for taking a moment to read that! I truly hope you enjoy!
> 
> **** Fanart created by me. I might create something different for this later tho ^^

**Hellsing Manor - August 2, 2030, 3:33 a.m.**

"You're home— " Integra's voice was but a soft whisper as she held a bleeding finger out before her, the blood pooling into a quivering drop looking for a place to fall.  "…my dear Count." 

Alucard's crimson eyes gazed up at her from where he sat on the floor inside of her bedroom with his legs sprawled out before him, his back up against the wall. A hungry sigh accompanied his thirsty smile.

"Back forever more, my Countess," he murmured quietly full of fearless promises. He opened his mouth wide and stretched out his long tongue to catch the generous drop of blood.

He shuddered with delight as it splashed onto his tongue, evoking a deep groan of pleasure from within. The blood was saccharine, pure, and definitely worth the thirty-year wait. Integra Hellsing, his beautiful master, was even more charitable as she allowed him to take her hold of her, his gloved fingers curling possessively around her wrist. With a gentle but demanding tug he brought the bleeding digit closer so he could lick it thoroughly, taste every bit of that delicious warm nectar oozing from the tiny self-inflicted flesh wound.

The tall blonde gave a wry grin as she watched him feasting on her finger, his tongue cool and wet, his sultry red eyes, that were a shade lighter than usual, glowing brightly as they gazed up at her with a look she knew brought women to their knees. They shared a silent moment watching each other carefully, so carefully, that Integra did not even realize she had been holding her breath. She let him take her finger into his mouth, could feel the sharp edges of his teeth grazing lightly over the skin.

The sensation sent chills ghosting over her body.

Integra released the pent up breath as a whole whack of sensations stirred up inside, old feelings within her, feelings she had not felt for three decades. That look of deep sadness appeared on her face again and she yanked her hand free of the vampire's grip, ceasing his feral ministrations rather abruptly.

Alucard did not fight against her wishes and allowed her to pull her hand away with a low rumble of pleasure.

"That's quite enough." The leader of the Hellsing Organization chided in a brusque tone, taking a step back and crossing her arms over her chest.

The nosferatu knew that look. He understood this woman's body language and read her expressions better than anyone else did. "My absence has offended you deeply. Again…" he ventured carefully, "I _am_ sorry, my darling master. It appears as if this joyful little reunion has opened old wounds." The corner of his mouth twitched with an ironic smirk. "I am but the salt."

That is when the youngest vampire in the room, Seras Victoria, piped up heatedly in Integra's defence. "You're not the salt, Master. It's just Master Integra has worried _so_ _much_ about you even though I told her you would return… thirty years is such a long time for a mere human. She's just stunned, is all."

Shadowed red eyes, partly hidden by tousled raven hair, glanced over at the female vampire with her short spiky blonde hair wearing a red Hellsing uniform, with her shadowy left arm, whose life ended at the ripe age of nineteen, thirty years ago. She was now forty-nine and looking as ever beautiful as the day Alucard turned her in that quaint town of Cheddar on a perfectly moonlit night. However, gone was the timid soul where now stood a draculina with a confident aura surrounding her. She had an air of pride and, dare he claim, superiority about her.

Police Girl had become a force to be reckoned with, he could tell, and Alucard was taken aback for a moment.

Integra spun around to glare crossly at Seras, with her one good eye, who still stood in the doorway of her bedroom with her Harkonnen cannon resting upon her shoulder. She had come to Integra's rescue when she heard the gunshots the woman had pummeled into Alucard only moments ago, when he had snuck in here with intent on drinking her blood.

"I suggest you keep your speculative comments to _yourself._ " Integra snapped, her anger giving away her mortification. "And since when have I become a 'mere' human? Is _that_ what I am to you? What nerve! Take that back."

A resonate chuckle came from the vampire still situated on the floor. "Oh, things have changed greatly in my absence. How delightful," he purred playfully. His two favourite women have grown much closer over the years and now squabbled like spoiled sisters.

"Shut up!" They both growled at him simultaneously.

Alucard's eyes widened for a second before he laughed again loudly. He tossed his head back and laughed as if nothing pleased him more.

Integra sighed tiredly, wandered back over to her bed, and sat at the edge of it. All of this excitement all of this noise – the realization of… of _everything_ was so overwhelming. She reached over and snatched up a pack of cigars from the nightstand along with the lighter that rest on top of the carton. With a flick, she lit the thin cigar and inhaled deeply. Then she exhaled a whirlwind of emotions that she tried to keep a reign on.

Seras bowed her blonde head in shame, feeling terrible for upsetting the other woman. "My apologies, Sir Integra, I was only trying to make Master understand your side of things. I…I shouldn't have put you on the spot like that."

Tendrils of acrid blue smoke circled around Integra's long fair hair and she scoffed. "It's alright. I know you meant well, my dear Seras. Let's just forget about it," she offered quietly. It was late, she was tired, and she did not want to argue.

The former police girl let out a giant puff of air in relief. "Well, since we are up and about at this hour and everyone is excited about Master's return, maybe you would like some tea, Master Sir?"

Integra made an agreeable expression. "I believe that is a splendid idea. Thank you, I'll take you up on that offer." The woman went to push herself up from the bed to follow Seras to the kitchen.

"No." Alucard cut in shortly as he got up off the floor. He strode over and stood at the foot of the bed, holding his hand out in a stop-like motion towards his mistress. "I'll retrieve the tea, it'd be my pleasure. I shall return momentarily, Master."

With a mild frown, Integra halted and sat back down with an irritated groan. "Alright then, but don’t add too much honey like you usually do… as…" Her voice grew quiet as if in thought and she continued softly, "…as you used to do." She wasn't a child anymore that fancied the sweet tea Alucard used to make for her. It had been a long time since he offered to make her tea, but when she was a child the old vampire occasionally took care of her. Alucard flashed a devilish grin at her before he swept out of the room with Seras looking back and forth between at them. The girl giggled with a knowing blush on her face before she trotted off after her sire.

*****

Seras shuffled behind her master, eyes glued to the back of his old-fashioned long red frock coat with its ruffled shoulders, hardly able to believe he was here and was not just an apparition of some sort. Nope, it was truly him walking down the hallway as if he owned the place. A part of her was nervous and excited, she had so many things she wanted to ask him, things she wanted to tell him, but now that she had the chance, she didn't know where to begin.

Although, what she should have told him first became painfully clear when Alucard suddenly slammed into a wall (which left an outline of his shape in the drywall) with a loud hollow thud. He growled irritably and would have stumbled back had it not been for Seras careening into him like a car pileup on a busy highway. Only it was a vampire pileup in the hallway of the Hellsing manor.

"Oh god! My apologies, Master," Seras beseeched. "I couldn't stop in time."

The walls themselves suddenly gave a noisy complaint with a voice that sounded oddly familiar to the old vampire king. "What the devil?" Alucard sneered.

Seras put a few paces between her and Alucard quickly and adjusted the cannon that rest at her back securely on her right shoulder again. "I guess I should have warned you about the security system I installed all over the mansion before you tried to walk through that wall, huh? I put it on high alert after Master Integra shot at you and haven't deactivated it yet." She offered meekly hoping she didn’t provoke an angry ranting from her recently returned master. Even so, she found the entire incident quite hilarious and it was hard to contain a snort of amusement.

Alucard turned to look at her with one raised eyebrow. " _You've_ done this?" He sounded astonished and not angry at all, not even one bit. "You've placed a shadow barrier all over the mansion with the spirit of that snivelling French dog?"

"Hey!" Seras admonished, not even letting Alucard put down the ex-captain of the Wild Geese, a mercenary group hired to help the Hellsing Organization in their missions thirty years ago. "Pip Bernadotte protected this place with honour until the end and he… he was…"

That prevalent grin danced across Alucard's face again and this time it went from ear to ear. "He was your first meal the life blood that made you who you are today, a true vampire. And now, he is your familiar, helping to protect what he cared about so deeply – how very noble of him. It's a guarantee," his voice softened a touch, "that you don't have the walk the nights alone."

It would seem as if her master was as agonizingly blunt as he was thirty years ago. Seras felt her cheeks burn profusely and whined, "Why do you have to say it like that, geesh." Her gaze dropped to the floor.

"Well, how about informing that dog that I am not here for an invasion and let me move about this place like old times, hmm?" Alucard requested. "My master is waiting for my return, after all, and I shan't keep her waiting any longer than she already has."

"Yes, yes, of course. Point taken." Seras gave the order silently and watched as Alucard tested the wall before him with his gloved hand. It phased into the wall without further trouble.

"Is that you, Mr. Alucard?" Pip's voice came from all around them with his cheerful French accent. "Whoa, long time no see, as they say. Although, I cannot say that it is good to see _you_ but as long as I know you're here protecting my _mignonette_ then that is fine with me."

Seras rolled her eyes and blushed again with chagrin.

Alucard grunted insolently in response and continued his journey to the kitchen via the walls versus using the doors and stairs. He felt an odd sense of nostalgia as he took in familiar surroundings, the richly furnished rooms with its aristocratic English air, the long wooden-panelled hallways, fine carpets and wood trimmings, the chandeliers up on the tall ceilings. He noted the plaques depicting family crests, old paintings of rolling countryside's and dull portraits of gaunt-looking old men in their military garb.

It was a stately home suited for a king… or a queen, he mused. It might not have been a castle but it was close to it and it was still home.

"My master has not hired another butler?" Alucard questioned his fledgling.

Seras chewed her bottom lip at the sudden topic at hand. "No… not since—"

"—Walter."

"Right, well… we still have hands like the live-in cook, a maid, the gardener and the housekeeping that comes by once a week, of course. But no, Sir Integra has not obtained another butler which I'm quite sure is properly called a personal assistant or a secretary these days. I really do think she should though since she does so much by herself. Living in this huge house and then there is her work on top of that. She takes on too much by herself. I mean, I do help when I can but I am not much help during the daylight hours when she needs me the most. Even then I'm training the personnel when I'm awake during the day." Seras explained and expressed hotly, "Master, I have never met a more stubborn person in my life."

Alucard smiled coyly to himself. "That's a Hellsing for you… they don't stop until you're dead."

Seras dared with a smirk of her own. "Sounds a bit like you, I should think."

"You're not amusing."

Seras merely shrugged.

"I see that you haven't quite managed to repair your arm yet. Pathetic," Alucard noted. "You have the structure but no flesh and bone. It's a simple spell, I will teach it to you. It might help if you drank blood from the vein again."

It was tempting but she could not do that. "I'd be grateful if you could teach me how to manipulate my shadow powers better. I've learned so much but… re-growing a limb is tough."

It was clear Seras still held on to many of her usual virtues, Alucard thought with a sigh. A vampire still clinging to such mortal nonsense… oh, how different she was from all the vampires he ever knew. She was a special woman with curious strengths, he knew from the moment he saw her that she would make an interesting vampire. He regretted nothing.

When they reached the kitchen and flicked on the light, Alucard looked around the spacious modern room with its stainless steel appliances and raw stone floor. It looked the same as it did thirty years ago. He wandered over to the black electric kettle, dumped out the old water and filled it with fresh before plugging it in again and turning it on.

The younger vampire placed her cannon up against the side of the fridge. "I've never seen you make tea before, Master. I… I didn't even know you knew how." Seras admitted as she walked over, opened a nearby cupboard, extracted Integra's favourite mug with blue flowers on it and set it next to the kettle.

"Just because I'm a vampire does not mean I can't brew tea, I have not forgotten all things human. Who do you think taught Walter how to make the perfect cup of English tea, hmm? Certainly, that smug punk could barely tie his own shoelaces when I met him – that was long before Integra's time, of course." Alucard shared this memory as he found some tealeaves and an immersible sieve, filled it with a level amount of tea, and placed it into the cup.

"It's just…" Seras did not bother to finish her thought aloud unsure she wanted to bother her master about memories of Walter, which was surely painful for both him and Sir Integra. However, surprised to get such an informative reply from Alucard, she thought she would try for something else. "What was it like fighting off all those millions of souls in that… in that place, where ever that was? It must have been horrible."

That is when her sire gave her his creepiest face, his pupils dilating with excitement. " _Horrible?_ " he mocked with a chuff of amusement. "Oh no, it was horribly _entertaining_. It was like visiting old friends and enemies alike, faces I had long forgot, beasts that I had devoured, a glorious hunt that would not end. The hellhounds' just kept sniffing out _more_ rabbits and _more_ foxes and I just kept _killing_ and _killing_ until… there was utter silence. It was the most perfect silence like that at the end of a great battle."

He sighed with pleasure.

Seras wrinkled her nose. Sometimes she just didn't understand this man, this creator of hers and his profound lust for violence and a good fight. Maybe it was a male thing. "Well, I dunno if that sounds any good at all," she expressed truthfully. "But… but I guess as long as you had an interesting time."

"The only drawback," Alucard added, "Was that I ran out of bullets."

"Oh, now _that_ is a shame." Seras answered sarcastically but Alucard did not seem to catch on to her taunt.

He nodded in complete agreement. "It was."

The draculina watched the ancient vampire wander over to the refrigerator and yank open the door, he peered inside as if considering what to make for supper. Seras grinned instantly. She knew what he was looking for and appeared over his shoulder like a hungry puppy to gaze into the fridge, too. "I'd like some dinner too, please – O negative if we have it."

A breath later Alucard slapped a cold blood pack into her face.

"Um, thanks," came her muffled reply.

She plucked the pack off her face and squished it eagerly between her hands, pleased that he had obliged her with the type she liked best. "Pass me yours and I'll warm them up. Just can't drink the blood cold, it's just not right."

Alucard shrugged, handed her his dinner and watched her as she went over and set the pouches of blood into the microwave. He crossed his arms over his chest as he waited. Ugh, it was an act against vampirism just as it was an act against humanity to cook food in a microwave, he thought. His shoulders slumped a little in defeat though, cold blood was like swallowing old bitter coffee, at least it would be warm and the very idea made him lick his fangs.

He was starving and a meal was a meal.

The microwave announced it was finished with annoying little beeps at the same time the kettle clicked to announce that the water had boiled. The vampire took care of the tea first, pouring the water into the cup and let the tea steep. It would take about two minutes to steep the tea and less for him to devour the blood. He took the donated blood from Seras and eagerly sank his teeth into the soft pouch.

After a few delicious swallows of the warm viscous fluid, he opened his eyes and looked over at Seras who, for the first time, was drinking blood alongside him without complaint. It caught him by surprise and completely mesmerized him for a moment. She noticed him gazing at her and she gave him a crested smile with her own red eyes, squinting at him happily.

A rare glimmer of pride shone in his eyes as he finished his meal with his fledgling – their first true meal shared together. It was a perfect way to start his homecoming, perfect until his thoughts turned to the human woman waiting upstairs for him. Integra, the last remaining Hellsing of this powerful monster-hunting family. She was upset with him for so many reasons, reasons that sometimes felt like a stake through his dead heart. He did not blame her and he wished he could take it all back but those Millennium scum, those fanatical freaks, they came and fucked it all up.

The fun of killing millions of souls was nothing compared to the desire he felt for her, that he would _always_ feel for her. But he didn't think it would be that easy to pick up where they left off, Integra was a mature woman now and he wondered what life's lessons had taught her over the years. Did it make her wiser? More calm. He chuckled to himself, he truly hoped not on the latter.

Seras licked her mouth clean of bloodstained lips and looked questionably up at the other vampire. "What's so funny, Master?"

Alucard raised his head when he was finished. "It's nothing," he said darkly, teeth stained with blood and his eyes becoming redder after consuming the fresh food. His manner was suddenly cold and moody. He brushed past her and went to toss out the empty plastic blood bag into the trash bin.

"O-okay, if you say so," Seras said unsure and cleaned up after her own dinner, as well. She turned to watch her master tend to the tea thoughtfully. He removed the sieve and was now hunting around the cupboards for honey, loudly shutting the doors in his search. Why was he so agitated all of the sudden? It did not take a brain surgeon to figure it out; her master was concerned about Integra. She wandered over, opened the cupboard next to the stove, plucked out the honey bottle, and placed it on the counter.

"Here we are, Master."

Alucard said nothing as he grabbed the honey and finished with the tea.

Seras was not the same timid little girl that Alucard once knew and she was not a cold-hearted vampire. Well, she was cold-hearted in the technical vampire sense because she was undead, but she was not heartless and managed to retain many of her humanitarian principles. So what she was about to say next she hoped would ease her master's restless mind.

"I know you're worried about Master Integra and _a lot_ has changed since you left. Not only has she changed physically and emotionally, but the world has changed, too. I'm sure you'll find out all about that soon enough. If it helps, Master, let me assure you that not a day has gone by—not a _single_ day in thirty years—that she has not mentioned your name. Not one. I never understood until you disappeared how much she really loves you. It must be _so_ difficult for her and it might take time for her to come around. You'll have to be patient."

The old vampire stared down at the mirrored surface of the amber-coloured tea, his reflection absent, and smiled. He produced a throaty chuckle deep in his chest and turned to assess his fledgling in an entirely new light, eyes sparkling with mischief. "My, are you reading my thoughts, prying into this decrepit old mind? Has it given away the deepest and darkest desires of my heart?"

Seras scowled. "Oh, stop being such a toad! I'm trying to be serious here. "

Alucard ceased his infernal laughing but he still grinned widely, impressed with Seras's courage to stand up to him. She may still look like a young woman but mentally she had matured after all these years. "Your concern for Integra's wellbeing is charming and I admit is something very new for me to witness. You have had the pleasure of my master's company longer than I have… and for that, I am awfully jealous. I suppose I should thank you for protecting her while I was detained."

The female nosferatu snapped, "Don't forget she's my master too, you know, just as you are also my master. Sir Integra became as such all the time you were away. I won't let that change now because she is also my friend and comrade." Seras sighed and relented a little. "But you don't have to thank me, if it wasn't for the Hellsing Organization, if it wasn't for Sir Integra I would have had _no one_ and _nowhere_ and, if it wasn't for you… I would have ceased to exist ages ago."

"And this does not disappoint you? I gave you a choice. You do not have regrets?" Alucard wondered even now after all this time. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather be free of this eternal damnation?"

"How is it damnation when I have people I care about around me each and every day? When I can work to protect innocent lives from suffering at the hands of evil monsters with cruel intentions?" For a brief moment, she remembered the hell of her childhood and swore she did not want that for anybody else.

"I was once that sort of monster…"

This time Seras was the one that laughed most sinister. "That's total bollocks, when you get all carried away during field work and whatnot I dunno if 'once' is the word I would choose, I—"

"—the pot calling the kettle black," Alucard pointed out. "The bloodlust is born of the darkness; it can't always be controlled, nor is it any fun to control it. No matter how you say it we will always be monsters."

The girl thought about it, holding a finger to her lip. "I guess you're right but we're still on the side with the good guys. That means something, right?" Seras smiled an innocent smile and was surprised when Alucard came over and patted her on the head in an appreciative way. He did that occasionally and it always took her by surprise.

"You've done well, Seras. I am eager to see what you can do in battle someday. Now, let me speak to our master alone." The vampire king ordered with a gentle voice. "I have much mending to take care of."

Seras was beaming now and fixing her hair that her master had mussed with his pleased ruffling. "Oh, of course," she said. "You won't hear a peep from me. Just remember not to go through the walls with the tea cup or you'll stain your fancy coat and you'll get stuck doing laundry unless you can wait for the housekeeping, but that's not till Thursday."

Alucard put the teacup on a saucer and placed it all on a small tray. He picked it up and headed out of the kitchen. "Goodnight, _Police Girl_."

Seras blinked a few times.

Heading down a corridor that led away from the kitchen, the No Life King heard a colourful curse directed his way. He knew how much Seras hated that moniker and her reaction to it each time he said it brought him much joy, _much_ evil unadulterated joy.

Seras wasn't finished, her voice carrying throughout the manor. "You're going to burn in hell!"

Alucard laughed to himself. "Amen."


	2. The World Hates Vampires

 

Moonlight spilled into the room and over the fair-haired woman who stood in front of a tall bedroom window. Integra gazed out into the abyss of night, viewing the enormous grounds of her mansion veiled in shadows and highlighted by the lonely gleam of the moon. The well-maintained lawn, stretching out to the front gates and trees that lined the horizon in the distance took on a blue- greyish looking tinge.

Nothing stirred. Not even the Hellsing troops that slept in the barracks, not even the guards on night watch with their dogs, at least not on this corner of the property. But she was not really looking at anything. Rather, she was deep in thought and sought comfort by the light of the moon shining brightly above like a portal to faraway lands.

Integra studied the way a patch of sparse clouds began to sail across the face of moon creating an ominous mood. On the other hand, perhaps she has been around too many monsters on nights like this to think like that. She scoffed to herself as she puffed on another cigar, the smoke drifting directly into her one good eye. It stung. Her eye began to water and she blinked just as something glittered off in the distance somewhere in the trees. It caught her attention and she stared off in the direction of the strange flickering light that appeared abstract in her watery vision.

By the time her vision cleared, she discovered it was only a plane far off in the sky, its white caution light blinking in the distance. Her hand came up to feel the eye patch that covered her left eye, a permanent reminder of what happens to humans who tangle with monsters, cyborg or otherwise.

Just then, a pair of hands snaked around her middle over the long, crisp white sleeping shirt she wore and a tall firm body pressed up behind her with all the skills of a seasoned assassin. Integra did not jump. She did not flinch. She did not even scream.

Integra knew who it was.

"Think of that eye patch as a trophy, a token that tells _all_ that Integra Fairbrooks Wingates Hellsing slaughtered the mad Nazi major, ending his reign of terror on the citizens of the world. Do not let it be a loss of an eye but a grasp of strength, a symbol of your victory."

That deep baritone could only belong to one individual. Integra did not have the willpower to pull away from him just yet. "This hideous eye patch as a symbol of my victory? Please, Alucard, you watch too many of those silly movies," she rebuffed.

His responding chuckle was cavernous and low, his breath tickling across the shell of her ear and the side of her cheek. "I have often invited you to join me in watching them, Integra. Humans have the most imaginative minds and the stories they create are brilliant. It truly is one of those things granting me escape, it is relaxing, but you insist there is always work that needs attending. That there is no time for such frivolity, a pity, all work and no play makes for a terribly dull Countess."

"Be quiet you and cease with this charming act of yours, I'm not so easily swayed nor will I bend to your will, foul monster." Integra's chin moved defiantly higher.

Alucard tugged off one of his white gloves, branded with the Hellsing five-point pentagram and Theban alphabet, removing it one finger at a time. He let it drop to the floor in front of his master's feet. The vampire shifted a little so he could drag his bare fingers through Integra's lustrous lengths of pale blonde hair, to feel its silkiness between them and to drape it over her other shoulder. It took a few sweeps to tame it, his fingertips grazing over her creamy brown skin as he brushed the hair to the side patiently, revealing one side of her long smooth neck.

"Call me what you will, master," he whispered. "I am perfectly aware that you are one of the few able to resist my persuasions. And yet, it is that very reason that I enjoy haunting you the most." He insisted, smoothing his other hand across her belly in a very possessive and intimate manner.

Integra's heartbeat increased and Alucard could hear her blood flowing faster beneath her skin, like a tiny river raging from a recent downpour. He could smell it and he nosed along the column of her throat, inhaling the scent of her lifeblood, her virgin heat. Her heart boomed like a drum as if it were banging right next to his ear.

"I could make you mine forever…"

The heartbeat slowed just a fraction.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Alucard. You're already walking on thin ice." Integra warned, yet she felt warmth radiate in her lower abdomen as his fingers skimmed just beneath the waistband of her dark pants. "What a scandalous wretch, you left me to become an old woman. I find it very hard to believe that this is what you hanker for now, do not be ridiculous. You're just in denial—stuck in the past."

She felt him smirk against her neck, his lips cool, his skin a touch warmer than usual and she knew he had drank blood when he fetched the tea. Yet, refrigerated blood did not warm him as much as blood fresh from a human did this she knew.

"Growing old might be awful but is life really over at fifty-two? I have seen many women simply glowing at that age, especially in these modern times with modern medicine and proper nutrition. You _cannot_ convince me that you are a horrid old hag, my darling master. I simply won't listen to it."

The woman wrapped in his arms grunted so un-lady like.

His smile grew wider. "I see that your manner has not changed at all. I am pleased. You have aged, yes, but to me you are as pretty as the day you woke me up in that dungeon. As beautiful as the day I was bested by The Major. Right now, even three decades later, you are that same little girl in my eyes," he assured. The memory of her youth would always be vibrant in his mind. "Before me stands a woman still ripe with life and beauty."

Integra fought against her better judgement and the wickedness of how wonderful it felt to be embraced by the creature she thought she had lost forever. The years have been so long, like a prison sentence without him. She did not realize how important he was to her until the moment he vanished. It bothered her how attached she had allowed herself to get to her servant, yet, she knew she would do anything to have him back. Now, for the first time in all those years lost away in confinement, she was free and she was at a loss.

It was daunting and scary how liberated she felt this very moment. "It's been _thirty_ years since you've held me like this, vampire. Why should I let you continue when I'd really rather smack the wits out of you."

"If it would make you feel better then strike me, master. I will not cower. It's my penance for not being able to follow through with your last order." Alucard's tone grew serious for a moment. "It would not even be a suitable punishment for disobeying a direct order. I deserve much worse."

"Oh, you are such a dramatic, Alucard." Integra told him plainly, yet, she had to smile. He was trying so hard to warrant her forgiveness. "I do not wish to strike at you but it does sadden me how much you have missed, and how alone I have felt except for Seras's company. She has been a godsend and has taken your place while you were gone."

"You don’t mean you and her—"

"Oh, don't think of such perversions, Alucard! That's _not_ what I'm talking about." The woman charged loudly.   

The red-clad vampire began to nose along her throat again, purring as wild visions of what the two blonde women could do alone together danced in his head. "It's not a bad thing," he assured. "I'm not even jealous with the idea, but no matter… you belong to me first and foremost."

"Correction: I belong to no one, _servant_." Integra informed callously and placed the cigar she was still holding between her lips. However, before she could even inhale, Alucard reached up, plucking the cigar out from between her teeth and crushed it savagely with his bare hand.

"You still smoke these rancid things," he said his tone lined with disgust. "It's sucking the life out of you."

"Hrmph, clever choice of words, vampire – do that again and I'll order you down to your basement where you can sit on your dusty throne and wallow in self pity." Integra's voice was as cold as steel.

This fiery display only made Alucard hard like a rock. He growled low with pent up frustration next to her ear. "Even with my newly gained power of omnipresence, you wouldn't dare," he actually dared.

"I've waited thirty-years… I can wait a little bit longer," she assured him. "Remember your power is loyal only to me. Should you abuse that new power unlawfully there _will_ be consequences." She shrugged him off like a wet blanket and went over to the little side table next to her bed to find the tea still waiting for her on a tray.

Alucard wore a crooked grin as his master sat at the side of her bed and picked up the cup of tea. He looked on carefully to see if she approved of his tea making, even if the hot beverage was probably a bit cooler than she liked it by now.

She sipped.

She swallowed.

She sighed and gave a slight nod of approval.

"Not bad Alucard. Even after all these years doing whatever the hell you were doing, you can still make a decent cup of tea." She taunted. "Perhaps if you had talent like this back in the day you might have actually succeeded with your invasion of London."

For a moment, he stared at her with both dark eyebrows raised. Then, he laughed profoundly before saying, "Striking below the belt, my… I expect nothing less of you."

"Then heed my warning, things are different now, Alucard. The world as you knew it has changed since the Millennium calamity. Any misuse of your powers, newly gained or otherwise, could result in significant adversity, and I don't mean from me." She gripped her cup firmly with both hands and her voice took on a grave tone.

"You speak of the Convention of Twelve," he said knowingly.

"The world _hates_ vampires more than ever before. Humans are more fearful than ever of the supernatural, the occult and the kind of deviousness surrounding such subjects. They have turned to religion in a quixotic fervour in hopes for salvation and protection." Integra sipped her tea calmly as if what she was saying was something discussed over a Sunday brunch with family and friends.

"You mean not everybody believes in the government's cover-up, correct?" Alucard questioned.

"That's correct."

"I see."

"The events that took place thirty years ago have left gaping wounds and a society filled with fear of future 'bio-terrorist' attacks, or, if you rather The Zeppelin Affair. The people of the United Kingdom and even the Eastern United States have a new brand of people occupying their cities. They are not large in numbers and they are not really much of a threat, but there are enough of these groups of anti-government citizens to cause trouble now and again. Rebels. Some are actual surviving witnesses of that ordeal or people born from or connected to families that perished 30 years ago. The rumours and stories manifested from that disaster bred distrust and for some of these people, full out insurgence. They are fear mongers spreading the warnings that their country's leaders are hiding something."

Integra glanced over to see if Alucard was still paying attention. She noted his scarlet eyes watching her carefully; his silence revealed he was patiently waiting for her to continue. "Do you know what these rebels like to hunt for, Alucard?" she asked him.

"Oh, I dunno, could it be… vampires?" He cleverly suggested.

"Exactly—they hunt vampires and freaks but they rarely ever come into contact with one, thank god. Still, there is a larger belief of such creatures in our society today than there ever used to be… all thanks to Millennium and their devastation on our country and the loss of 64,000 U.S citizens and officials."

The blonde woman sighed.

"It's exhausting trying to keep the peace in a world that no longer trusts its government. And it's exhausting watching these officials as they continue to try and cover everything up with a useless Band-Aid when what they really need is _guts_. I fear what the future holds for these spineless politicians when they are the ones that need to step up in the fight against the monsters." She frowned and glanced over at the vampire again. "I don't blame them, Alucard. I don't blame the people for not trusting anyone, the event like what happened with Millennium can't totally be buried beneath sly politics and an increased military presence. A great injustice was done unto them and we—no, _I—_ let them down."

 _"What?"_ Alucard rumbled with disbelief. "Surely you cannot blame yourself for those scum-sucking Nazis?"

"I failed to put an end to their operation before it got to the point where their warships were over our city. If only I hadn't been so led on by The Major's tricks… he used me like a pawn." Integra was clenching her teeth together in rage.

Alucard had heard enough, he came to kneel before his master and he took both her hands into his, one of them gloveless. "Is that what eats you up inside because you think you were outsmarted, that you are the one to blame for the disaster that happened. Then you truly are blind." He scolded harshly. "That is what war is. It is mindless butchery and manipulation whether it is a struggle between humans or monsters. There is no sense to war. It is an all-embodied frenzy where all the rules are tossed aside like spit to the ground. That is what makes war so gratifying but also so final. In the end, someone loses and someone wins, but does the winner really feel joyous?" He paused and thought about it.

"Sometimes," he explained with a rotten grin.

"What are you ranting on about? I know what a war entails I don't need to know your perverse psychology on the matter." Integra assured hotly.

A vampire as old as Alucard perfected the art of patience ages ago and it showed with his nonchalant tone as he continued, "Of course, master, but what I'm trying to say is that where war is concerned there is no pointing of fingers. Tragedies are part of life. They are a perquisite for people of rule, people in charge."

Integra had to scoff at the earnest in the vampire's words. "I understand what you are trying to say,  but I am far from being any grand ruler. Tell me, King, is that what you told your subjects before going off to war? Did you feel like I do right now thinking back on a battle fought and lost? Did it eat you up inside the way is does me?"

"Mmmm… call me a 'king' one more time." Alucard requested smoothly, delightfully swayed from his more sombre thoughts of the past. He closed his eyes while he waited, signalling out his sense of hearing above all his other heightened senses.

Integra chuckled softly to herself. "Oh for heaven's sake, I will do _no_ such thing," she answered tenaciously. Her single blue eye twinkled with mischief, however.

Alucard reluctantly continued. "I nearly forget what the years of ruling a country feels like. It has been so long… 553 years since I ruled. So spare me your 'ancient' comments." His gaze became distant as he thought back to a time he would much rather forget. "I do remember feeling the rush of going to battle… the clatter of horses galloping, the shouts of men, the clang of their armour and their sounds of anguish as their blood soaked the earth. I recall feeling devastated and enraged… there was little peace for a man back then. A ruler did not have time to flounder in pity about what choices he made. He just tried to stay alive to fight another battle. To be ready for anything. I will not claim that my actions were right or wrong, passion blinds the mortal mind."

Indeed, she knew the history books claimed the Prince of Wallachia to be a man that loathed wrongdoings and punished those severely should he learn of it. The Hellsing leader didn't know if she felt any better after listening to Alucard's insight, but he did answer her question and she was stunned by what he told her. Sometimes she forgot where this vampire really came from and who he really was once, and every time she was reminded, it shook her very foundations.

"I apologise for asking such personal questions, Alucard. I didn't intend to stir up bad memories for you. I really was curious what you might say. Yet, no matter what you say a part of me will always blame myself for part of that disaster." She furrowed her brows further. "And don't try to convince me otherwise, it's just something I have to live with, King."

Alucard twittered softly, delighted that she had obliged him once again. Nobody said it as lovely as she did, not even all those centuries ago from the lips of his people. He gazed up at her, still on his knees, like the good guard dog that he was and waited for her to make the first move. Oh, and she did. She took her hands out of his and placed her hands on his face, and then, her fingers slowly weaved into his thick, shaggy black hair. He groaned pleasurably, her touch warm and sensual. She beckoned him closer with gentle tugs and he came closer to her shuffling on his knees as she leaned over to embrace him, arms around his head mostly.

"Am I forgiven?" He wondered.

"A little…" She sighed. "I have waited all this time to share these thoughts with you. It pains me to have had to wait so long." She told him, her disappointment still lingering above her like a dark cloud.

"And did you not share these issues with Seras? I'm sure she would have been a great help. I don't think you should have waited so long, harbouring such pain." He might be a monster but he wasn't stupid or ignorant to mortal suffering. Monsters suffered, too.

Integra shook her head as she held him to her bosom. "No, I couldn't let her see this side of me, this weak pathetic side. It angers me to think of it now." Even while growing up she had only Walter and Alucard to run to with her troubles and doubts, her fears. They were the only ones that would listen. The only ones she had to turn to.

"Just shut up and hold still." She ordered.

Integra's sleeve muffled Alucard's delighted chuckles.

"Will you stay with me for a little while as I fall back to sleep?" She requested of him, her tone making her sound a lot younger than she was. "All this excitement has at last drained me, but… I do not wish to be alone."

"Of course, my master, I would be lying if I said I didn't miss watching over you while you sleep. Let us get comfortable, shall we?" he suggested as he stood back up and waited for Integra to climb back into bed. When she was under the blankets, Alucard pulled the covers a bit higher, up to her shoulders, tucking her in sweetly. "There now, aren't we cozy?"

The blonde scoffed unsure if he was teasing her or being sincere. She turned to lie on her side, facing the bedside table, away from the vampire. She heard Alucard removing his boots and clearing a few books off his side of the bed before he sat down behind her, his back resting up against the headboard and spare pillows, legs stretched out. He reached over to gather her hair and drape it across his lap, and then… he gently began to comb his fingers through it.

The soothing sensation took immediate effect. Integra closed her eyes while goose bumps sprung up all over her body. Alucard was remarkably good at that. The vampire's long fingers started at her scalp and worked all the way to the tips of her exceptionally long hair.

He was so quiet that it unnerved the woman and she thought. "You won't try to drink my blood again, I hope."

Her comment made Alucard smile nefariously in the dark. "Even if I did, what can you do about it? Shoot me— _again_?"

"I won't let you into my room anymore," she threatened. "There will be none of these late night chats and touchy-feely business."

"And you'd hate that as much as I would," he replied, shrewdly.

"Hrmph, I've grown used to being alone at night."

 _Ouch._ That was a punch to the gut and Alucard winced slightly. "I feel your knife stabbing at my heart again, Master. Trust me. I'm not going to leave you again anytime soon, not if I can help it."

"Just don't bite me," she insisted seriously.

The vampire also insisted seriously. "And would _that_ be such a bad thing? Think of the possibilities, the Hellsing Organization… you'd make a fine Queen."

"I’m going to sleep now," she warned, distinctly avoiding the topic. "What you're doing feels very nice. Don't stop." She gave an exaggerated sigh, smiling secretively to herself, knowing she would peeve Alucard off with her obstinacy.

"You didn't answer my question."

Oh yes, he wasn't impressed. Integra murmured sleepily pretending she did not hear him. "I'm glad you're back, my dear friend. Hush now. Close your eyes."

Alucard released a sigh. "I'm not tired in the slightest, you know I can't sleep at night it's… unnatural. You need a television in this room," he suggested.

"Mmmhmm… you always complain about that," was her lazy sleepy reply.

Alucard couldn't help it, he was feeling chatty all of the sudden, the night was invigorating for someone like him and he hadn't spoken to Integra in such a long time that thoughts just poured into his mind about this new world. "I wonder what kind of movies I've missed out on in the last thirty years, not like I don't have the time to catch up." He chuckled quietly, being immortal came with perks.

His musings faded away as Integra began to return to slumber, and in her mind, she thought of Alucard's seemingly harmless threat and declaration of his newest power. It was gnawing at her a little and she had to wonder if while he was absent if time had changed him a bit. Monster or human, both creatures evolved and changed over time, but was he any exception? Would this new power loosen the leash she held? She mentally waved off the thought. It was useless to worry about that now. He was here with her currently like a loyal pet, or better yet, a loyal friend. Could she dare call it that?

It was foolish to worry like an old hen she thought, cringing at her choice of comparison. _Old hen?_ She berated herself internally.

Drawn from her own ridiculous thoughts, she realised Alucard was speaking about her childhood now. Integra listened to him speak. She smiled softly, his voice was perfectly soothing and mannerly when it wasn't spewing malicious rantings or snarling like a wild beast. Privileged she felt to know this side of the vampire. He rambled on as if they were an old married couple. Integra smirked, they knew each other well and it seemed no amount of separation, could ruin the bond they shared.

Or so she hoped. Thirty years was still a hefty amount of time.

She had forgotten, however, and smiled at the fact that it was difficult to get him to shut up at night. It seemed especially difficult since they had not spoken for three decades. Tonight, Integra did not mind, she would let it pass. It was simply a blessing to have him back. Many would be sceptical but she felt secure with him around, and tonight she felt a certain kind of peace she had not felt in a long while.

"…you came home with a black eye after getting into scrap at school. It was the most hilarious thing because here was this little schoolgirl, a ball of spitfire and steam. Most youngsters at that age would be reduced to tears over such a matter but not you, master. You sat there fuming like a violent storm as you held a raw piece of meat to your face. Honestly, what a disgusting way to ease the swelling but Walter insisted. He said it was a 'tried and tested' treatment and that it was tradition for a Hellsing to wear a steak on their eye at least once in their life." Alucard recalled whimsically. "Walter's voice was oddly full of pride. I do not really understand, is that kind of tradition really something to be proud of?"

Integra recalled that moment in her life with a haughty sniff. "Amanda Parker was being racist and making fun of my deceased Indian mother. Children are such evil spawn at times. She deserved every swing I laid into her and she was only lucky to land one punch which happened to be my eye." The memory brought a righteous smile to her face. "Why are you bringing this up now?"

"Because, master… the very same eye that you can no longer use is the eye that got blackened that day. That is why." Alucard explained. He looked over at her. "Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?"

"Don't pester me. You're the one that insists on talking about nostalgic topics all of the sudden." She wriggled into her pillow with pure disgruntlement, trying to find a comfortable position. "Be quiet or get out."

The vampire grinned. "Sleep well, my Master."

*****

**Outskirts of the Hellsing Manor Compound**

High up in a tree a man held up a recording device, the viewfinder clearly showing Integra's bedroom even at 200 yards away. Hidden in the shadows, camouflaged in black covert gear, the spying individual jerked as a mosquito buzzed into his ear. The man's usually steady hands fumbled for a second and he accidently turned on the flashlight option on the camera. The beam of white light directed right at the house!

"Oh shit!" He hissed, scrambling with the device. Gasping, the spy clamped their hand over the light and turned it off before resuming their surveillance. He hoped he hadn't alerted any guards.

Orders were simple: Monitor the Hellsing Organization.

The LS-XR handheld thermal night vision camera was specifically used for missions like this, because it did not contain mirrors in its construction. Hence, when another body appeared behind Integra's in the window above, it recorded everything, especially if that body belonged to a vampire.

The spy grunted with repugnance as he watched the spectacle, vampires seducing humans. It wasn't right. The leader of the Hellsing Organization sure seemed to be enjoying the attention, which was not surprising. But that was the least of their worries because the vampire doing the seducing was going to give his boss a really big headache.

Alucard was back.

There was no mistaking that red coat, that infamous cravat he wore and those red eyes. Before he even took on this mission, he had been briefed in detail about what that leech looked like. With his free hand, he gripped a crucifix strung around his neck, the other still holding the monocular video camera. He mumbled some prayer that begged of God to cleanse his soul.

When they disappeared from the window, the man climbed down from the tree and ran back to his vehicle in haste. As he drove away with the headlights off, he picked up his mobile phone and made a brief call.  

"Sir, we have a big _red_ problem."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off many many thanks to anyone that gave my story a shot and read the first chapter! I hope you continue to enjoy as the plot thickens :) Enjoy the chapter! Next Chapter 3: So Help you God. Integra meets up with the Convention of Twelve.
> 
> Here's a thanks to all who commented or viewed or kudo'd!!


	3. So Help You God

**Military Headquarters, London - August 4, 9:52 a.m.**

The large stone and concrete building with its peaked dome and arches, constructed by the finest architect's decades ago, stood out amongst the immense gardens surrounding it. It was a two-story building housing some of Britain's leaders of military and those in charge of protecting the country. The Queen's Guard were now the King's Guards and stood sentinel at every entrance still dawning their tall bearskin hats and red uniforms, holding a bayoneted rifle at the ready. The guards stepped to the side with a loud tap of their shoe and allowed the director of the Hellsing Organization to pass into the military HQ.

Some traditions never change.

Integra was not going to keep it a secret, the Round Table needed to know that Hellsing's ultimate weapon has returned to them. It was her duty to keep them informed and her duty as a Hellsing to re-establish the level of her fighting forces. Therefore, she arranged a meeting that required plenty of phone-tag and emails with all parties involved to take place as soon as possible.

The imposing tall blonde walked heedlessly, flat shoes clicking off the shiny polished vinyl floors. She wore her usual male-fashioned double-breasted charcoal grey suit, red cravat adorned with a silver crucifix, along with her glasses and eye patch. Tucked neatly against her ribcage was her fully loaded Sig-Sauer P229 pistol having full permit to keep it on her person at all times, even inside the administrative building.

Following behind was Integra's entourage, Seras Victoria on her right and Alucard on her left.

Seras wore her standard burgundy red Hellsing uniform consisting of a high-collared fatigue-styled top and short skirt revealing lengthy pale legs with burgundy thigh-high stockings. Thanks to Alucard's instruction, she was able to repair her left arm so it looked completely normal again. Now she proudly wore a pair of white gloves, while black combat boots adorned her feet.

Alucard towered above both women with his red, wide-brimmed hat, his eyes hidden behind his trusty orange-tinted Wilson safety glasses with wire frames. The long red coat he wore sailed behind him over top his black suit and white shirt with his knotted red cravat affixed around his collar.

Again, some things just never change.

When the double doors opened to allow them entrance into the command center, a large high-ceiling room with a huge round table in the middle of it, every head turned to stare. Seras flashed a smirk towards her sire and Alucard gave her a shrewd look.

Indeed, this meeting, no doubt it would stir up some reaction. Honestly, Integra just wanted to get it the hell over with, already. She stood there with her cigar clenched between her teeth wearing a satisfied expression. Now, if she only had a camera to capture the looks on their faces, she would frame it and place it on her office wall.

"Gentlemen," she acknowledged coolly, taking a few steps that lead down to the lowered floor where the large oak table was.

Around them on a higher level milled operatives conducting their work at computer terminals, all wearing a military uniform and many wearing headsets. A dozen Convention of Twelve or Protestant Knights members, as they are sometimes called, and their associates standing next to them, occupied the chairs and space surrounding the conference table down below.

This is the organization in charge of conducting the current monarch, King Charles', underground business. These people kept some of the country's darkest secrets, pulled the toughest strings and pushed illicit buttons. Some of these people here today the country's citizen's voted for as leaders, federal or municipal, others were ministers and heads of departments, all of which are in charge of running the country. The odd non-governmental personnel that also sat at this table today were influential lords of state with close ties to the monarch.

Not one of them stood up to pull out Integra's seat, as a gentlemen should, and Alucard growled under his breath. _Lousy humans_ , he thought to himself as he pulled out a chair for his mistress. She thanked him respectfully and he took his position behind her chair along with Seras.

"Integra Hellsing and her vampires are finally here," announced a man in his mid-thirties with neat dusty blond hair, "May the meeting commence."

"Thank you Mr. Kershaw." The Minister of Justice, Mr. Walden Blackensfield, a small portly man with glasses, said rather stiffly. "Sir Integra, it appears you have organized this meeting to share what all of us have just seen—the return of Hellsing's trump card."

A youthful version of the now deceased Sir Hugh Islands Irons', his grandson, also named after his grandfather leaned forward on his elbows. "So now you have two ultimate weapons up your sleeve—I'll cut right to the chase. Does this council have anything to fear or can you guarantee he is not just, a loose cannon now?"

At that another man, a stocky thick kind of man with a reddish moustache and matching coloured hair demanded gruffly. "The creature hasn't yet been operative for more than forty-eight hours… how can she even promise such a thing!"

"Unless Sir Integra has not been honest with us," Alastair Kershaw, Head of the Department of International Development, claimed.

"Have you all forgotten how much capital it required to clean up after that… _that devastation_?" The red-moustached man reminded everyone unable to utter the word, 'Millennium'. "We can't afford to place this country into that kind of jeopardy again."

"And now the Hellsing Organization has _two_ over-powered weapons, I say! _TWO!_ "

Integra had passed the point of seeing red many utterances ago. She slammed her fist onto the table, which caused everyone's complementary glass of water to shake before them. "You fools! If it weren't for these 'weapons' the entire world would have succumbed to those freaks! All of you would be servants, ghouls to some monster by now… or you would be dead. Have you all forgotten that we are but a mortal race amongst monsters still roaming the earth? Since when has Britain's finest turned into such a group of bed-wetting children?"

"N-now, now everyone just calm down, I think we're starting off on the wrong foot here." The young Mr. Gregory Penwood, grandson of the late Shelby Penwood, proclaimed nervously, beads of sweat rolling down his temples.

"Fair enough, Gregory." The young Hugh Irons clasped his hands together rather smugly and added calmly. "That's all fine and dandy, Sir Integra, but the issue remains that you now have _two_ vampires of great power at your disposal. It is comparative to some communist countries having control of all the world's nuclear weapons." He glanced around at his fellow council members while pushing up his glasses who all nodded in agreement. "Is it wise to place so much power under one person's control?"

Integra sighed. "Nonsense, I think you are all hyperbolizing the situation." She sounded exasperated. "Seras Victoria is still developing her power and she is as loyal to me as Alucard… there is nothing to worry about. I did not come here to simply be put off by you lot. I came to perform my duty in the best interest of this council and to His Majesty and, furthermore, for the people of the Great Britain. I came to inform that my organization is once again at full strength—that is _all_ you need to know. And if you are comparing my state of mind to that of a spoiled supreme leader half way across the world than _so help you God_."

"Even God cannot help these people." Alucard injected with a sneer.

Alastair Kershaw glanced over at the menacing red-clad vampire whose pale face was shroud in eerie shadows beneath his hat. "Mr. Alucard, is it?" He began casually as if they were old fishing chums or something. "You do understand the ramifications of what transpired 30 years ago and what it has done to our society?"

Light from the giant monitors around them reflected off the vampire's sunglasses when he directed his gaze at the handsome Mr. Kershaw. "The people do not trust their rulers and they grow unsettled with the added military presence. Your citizens can sense your fear. Rulers that hide in their castles lose their power over the people and the people themselves have become a stronger entity. Is that what you wanted to hear?" Alucard's response was contrite and to the point.

"That's a very good answer and a very correct one. When humanity suffers a great blow it rebounds with an outpouring of strength and unity," Mr. Kershaw replied. "I apologise for my frippery of doubt but I have not had the pleasure of meeting you before. Just as most of us have not had the opportunity to meet you. You can understand our hesitation."

Alucard politely took off his hat, holding it over his heart, and gave a bow. "I work only to serve my master and act on the orders she demands of me. I may hold the gun but _she_ pulls the trigger." The vampire shared straightening up and removing his glasses to take a good look at all the new faces.

Many members of the Round Table found themselves staring into the cold red eyes of a ruthless killing machine. A few of them swallowed thickly.

Seras, on the other hand, noticed something new about her creator when he took off his hat. "Master, you… you have some grey in your hair," she said with bewilderment.

At that, Integra turned around to glance up at her servant before he placed the fedora back on his head. Indeed, Alucard had a few streaks of grey in his bangs and a dash of grey at his temples giving him an even craftier presence. It made him look—she could not believe she was thinking this now—even more dashing that he already was.

"What's the meaning of this?" Integra commanded before she realised this was not the place to have this conversation. But it was too late, she'd already spoken.

The No Life King simply claimed. "I thought it might make you feel more comfortable around me, my Master. I was forty-five when at the time of my mortal death and it doesn't bother me to look a little more like it. Once one becomes a vampire age is inconsequential, the body regenerates and heals. This body is just a shell."

Integra sighed and faced the rest of her Round Table comrades as if nothing weird just happened. No. Nothing weird at all. Her face was a little stonier than usual though. "Now, where were we?" she went on pleasantly.

Sir Gregory sounded tense as he re-opened their regular discussions. "Perhaps we should move onto the other topics at hand, like the Iscariots."

"Section 13!" Mr. Blackensfield hissed while removing a handkerchief from his breast pocket in order to mop the perspiration from his ruddy forehead. "Why bring them up, we haven't had any trouble with those Vatican vermin lately."

"They have been fairly silent but they won't be when they hear that _he_ has returned." Red Moustache enlightened, darting an anxious look at the vampire in mention.

"Sir Dagwood Morgan has a valid point… they will come breathing down our necks with their backstairs surveillance. We cannot afford to have them sniffing around or stirring up a ruckus in their futile attempts to eliminate the Hellsing weapons. They will use them against us and it will end up costing lives and money." Sir Irons offered, sitting back and crossing one leg over the other.

"I'm not so sure about that," Integra said, snubbing out her cigar in the ashtray in front of her. "They came to visit not so long ago—"

"Ah yes, at the fencing match that I missed out on last week, Sir Penwood told me all about it." Hugh Irons mentioned.

"Yes, well… they just barged in as if they owned the place," Gregory said dryly, "A real questionable looking bunch they were."

"Whatever they seemed," Integra continued, appearing unfazed, "They only wanted a briefing on the vampiric activity in Great Britain as of late. And I told them, just as I have told you over correspondence, that it has been very quiet lately, very little reports on ghouls or anything of that nature. Vampires and freaks are hiding well due to the extra pressure from these delinquent holy hunters forming about."

"It's almost too quiet." Seras piped up.

The members at the table groaned in unison.

"Let's not jinx it, shall we?" Rob Walsh, the council president and the oldest member of the Round Table that had remained quiet up until now, said seriously.

Alucard studied the wrinkled old man in his red beret, decorated war medals, and gave a sardonic scoff at that. Even he knew that a great calm was usually the inauguration to a great storm. But what would be inside the bag of tricks this time? Whatever it was, he was eager to feed it a few bullets.

"And what's the word on international activities, anything for us to be concerned about?" Mr. Morgan asked, changing the topic now that everyone was satisfied with Integra Hellsing's matter with her vampires and the Iscariots.

"The usual—rights committees urging that the use of drones compromises human rights globally. And there are whispers of successful cloning coming from the far east… I believe the experiments involve an extinct species of fish. Nothing to worry about unless they decide to create bio-weapons out of them," Alastair Kershaw informed the group.

The Round Table would laugh only they did not want to 'jinx' anything.

"Let's discuss funding for this sector, then. It seems there's a lot of money going into the buying of transport vehicles when it really ought to be used on surveillance equipment." Mr. Blackensfield said, "Don't you agree, Sir Penwood? You're the Vice Admiral of the Royal Navy, after all."

"Yes, right." Gregory Penwood agreed as a lock of black hair flopped over his left eye. He shoved it out of his face clumsily. "The skies are beginning to clutter with the amount of surveillance these days perhaps we—"

Just then, the double doors leading into the room opened and a young woman in a dark blue uniform who stood guard in front of the control room, hurried to the table holding a small package between her hands, cutting off the young Sir Penwood.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but this package arrived a short while ago… it is addressed to the Convention of Twelve." She said, clearly confused.

 _"Addressed to us?"_ Gregory repeated with astonishment.

The young officer explained. "We analyzed the contents and there does not appear to be anything dangerous about it. In fact, the contents are one hundred percent organic. There are no traces of explosive material or contamination."

"Who delivered it?" Integra demanded.

"The mailman brought it with today's post, Sir," she claimed.

Integra moved her ashtray aside. "Bring it here," she ordered. The young officer quickly brought the package over to the table and placed it down in front of Integra. "Thank you officer Grady, you may leave."

With a polite nod, the officer left the room.

Everyone's eyes were on the tiny cardboard box, which was no bigger than a thick book. The council members around the table grew pensive as they looked on.

"Maybe you should let someone else open that, Sir Integra. Don't be so reckless." Mr. Blackensfield strongly advised.

Integra paid him no heed, producing a small ceremonial knife made of blessed silver that she carried on her belt and tore into the package as everyone looked on intently.

The two vampires leaned over their master's greying-blonde head to see what was inside the box as well. As soon Integra removed the packing tape and opened the flaps, Alucard's eyes widened with revelation.

Integra startled when her servant suddenly placed his gloved hands over her glasses. He demanded sternly, "Don't look at it, Master."

"What's the meaning of this, Alucard?" She clamoured at once and shoved his hands away from her face. "Explain. _Now!_ "

Seras was immediately on alert. "Ugh, it's a severed finger with a strange tattoo on it…it kind of looks like an eye. A really ugly eye, if you ask me."

"It is not just any eye, it is the Evil Eye," the old nosferatu told Seras and to the people at the table. "One does not get such an offering unless they mean to harm the person or people that receive it."

Everyone at the table began to chatter excitedly except for Rob Walsh. He sat there quietly and waited for everyone to calm down. So much for not jinxing anything, he thought with a deep sigh.

"Is someone threatening us?" Sir Penwood questioned. "Is it a warning, then?"

Mr. Irons did not seem fazed at all. "It wouldn't be the first time. Only last week someone called in a false bomb threat… now some religious freaks have sent us a severed finger with a strange tattoo on it that is supposed to instill us with fear. What will they think up next?" He waved his hand in an untroubled gesture.

Integra remained silent as she studied the finger that rest snug on top of a tuft of black tissue paper. It looked like a man's finger with a thick, yellowish square-shaped nail, the skin mottled black and blue and the blood dried up at the torn amputated end. It appeared as if the finger had been literally ripped off its host. At the base of the finger was a strange black tattoo of a stylized eye that was wide open, the iris fully visible inside the eyelid.

Alucard was groaning pathetically behind her. "Why must you keep staring at it, Master?"

"Oh please, Alucard, this symbol is known worldwide. It has become something of an icon among the rich and famous. People have been wearing jewelry with this symbol and many like it to ward off bad karma. It's a silly superstition. What does worry me is that someone knew we were having this meeting today. They knew we would be here to receive such a disgusting parcel."

"I'm telling you our systems have been compromised—they are probably reading our emails, taking pictures of our whereabouts with their eyes-in-the-skies." Sir Hugh Irons made it all sound so simple. "Keeping Hellsing a secret from the world is rather futile in this day and age."

"I don't like it… what's the point of the Round Table if everyone knows about it?" Mr. Blackensfield asked shifting his gaze away from the finger.

"Let them know. Maybe it would be better if the people knew there was an organization like ours trying to protect them, times have changed. Perhaps we've been going about this the wrong way," the Hellsing leader replied with a shrug. "As long as we perform the duties we are in charge of then that's all that matters. Either way we won't run and hide with our tail between our legs."

"Even with all that… why did this finger get sent to us at all?" Mr. Morgan reminded everyone, tugging at the ends of his red moustache. He was looking a little bit paler now.

"Perhaps the person that lost this finger just happened to be a fan of strange tattoos," Seras offered. "Maybe it's just a coincidence or maybe it's someone's idea of a sick joke."

Alucard remained noxiously silent.

"Look, it's clear that someone is trying to tell us something but it could mean anything at this point," Integra started, clasping her hands in front of her chin. "All we can do for now is to have this appendage analyzed and see if we can get some answers from it. I'll have this sent to forensics immediately, in the meantime, keep your guard up."

Everyone around the table nodded in silent agreement.

*****

Once the meeting adjourned, the Convention of Twelve went their separate ways and Mr. Kershaw rushed by past them in the hallway, accidently brushing shoulders with the big vampire.

He looked back waving his hand apologetically at Alucard and then continued on his way. He had his mobile up to his ear and seemed in a hurry. "You're at the airport already—great! I'll come straight to Heathrow and pick you up, don't go anywhere, my love. We have _so_ much to talk about."

"Well, that's nice." Seras commented somewhat in awe. "He's off to pick up his girlfriend."

Neither Integra nor Alucard seemed to care about that.

"I wish to return home to sleep. I'm exhausted," complained the vampire king. "Attending that meeting was worse than being set on fire for a thousand years."

"Master!" Seras cried, stifling a giggle behind her hand. "What a thing to say."

Integra sniffed. "I should think it was worse than that," she agreed. "Honestly, the day one of these meetings ends on a harmonious note is the day that I die."

"Master Integra you shouldn't say something like that!" Seras gasped in all seriousness.

"I have a headache and yet there is still much work that needs to be done. Let us return to the manor." The Hellsing director said with little enthusiasm.

The red vampire looked over at his master with concern. "Please tell me you'll hire an assistant so I no longer have to come to these horrid gathering of humans." Alucard's hint wasn't subtle and neither was his now deadpanned expression.

True, it wasn't entirely his job, nor was it Seras's job, to attend all of these Round Table meetings. Integra offered. "Today was important that you attend for obvious reasons, but perhaps you're right, Alucard. I'll inquire with the administration if they have any possible candidates on their rosters—someone we can _trust_."

 _Trust_. Now there was a word that was often carelessly tossed about, Alucard considered. It would seem the scar Walter left behind was still burning hot beneath the surface.

Integra considered it. "However, they will be hired strictly for business, like a secretary. I do not need another _butler_ to fetch my tea—"

"Or arrange fresh flowers in a vase for your office." Alucard was now smirking. He was teasing her.

"Silence," muttered the Hellsing woman. "I already have a qualified maid to handle personal basics. Her name is Judy."

The troublesome vampire added with tongue in cheek. "A woman such as you deserves more than just flowers, Master."

 _"Not. Another. Word."_ Integra warned with a stony expression.

"As you wish," he complied smugly.

Seras's laughter resonated in the hallway. "Her favourite flowers are red roses," she quickly shared even if Integra fumed at her for it.

"I order you to stop! Both of you."

 _"Red, huh? How suitable."_ Alucard spoke with his fledgling telepathically. " _You have my thanks, Seras."_

Seras smiled. " _Anytime, Master."_

On the car ride back to the Hellsing manor, Integra was informing Alucard that he needed to be versed in the technology of the times.

"You will be given a mobile that is like a small computer, it is time you learned how to do a little homework or how to communicate on the Internet. Every modern warrior should know how to conduct research and you'll be given assignments from time to time. There is no room in this Organization for operatives that cannot hold their own." She was saying but noticed that Alucard was staring out the backseat window of the luxury Rolls Royce, and not paying her any mind.

The centuries old nosferatu gazed at the passing scenery, London looked very much the same as it did before The Zeppelin Affair… minus a few monumental structures. This was the first time he was seeing it in thirty years. It was hard to imagine these streets the way he had last seen it, the carnage with mutilated bodies everywhere, faces frozen in extreme terror, their blood collecting into a stream and draining into the sewers. There was no sign of the fire that scorched many buildings or the demolition of mortar and brick.

Everything was as if it never were.

It thrilled him the unyielding power of mortal strength and their will to overcome any obstacle. He sighed, if only he had had such tenacity.

The people looked pretty much the same, all moving about aimlessly with vacant expressions on their faces. Sheep. Mules. Whatever the world liked to call them. They continued to go about their daily activity just the same. At a stoplight, Alucard could over hear a white-bearded old man ranting at a street corner, just like the way they used to do it hundreds of years ago.

_"Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit—"_

"—and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended." Alucard finished the quote of Revelation with a snort of humourless amusement.

"There has been a lot of that cropping up lately," Integra enlightened, watching the vampire from the corner of her eye. "The church has surged again with power."

He turned away from the window to look at her when the car began to continue its journey, leaving the raving old codger behind. The vampire sat back against the seat leisurely. "And as a woman of God does it not empower you?"

Integra looked away and viewed the front so Alucard could not see her face. "Don't patronise me right now, Alucard. You and I both know that people have a way of taking things too far."

"And that's what makes them so interesting," he mused, clasping his hands together on his lap. "But let's forget about that, I feel as if you were saying something to me earlier. What was it?"

Seras cleared her throat. "Forgive me, Alucard, but Sir Integra was informing you that you are required to learn how to use some new technology. I'm afraid you might be behind in how we conduct our investigations and communicate with one another." Seras kindly offered so that Integra wouldn't have to repeat herself, even if the fellow blonde seemed to be enjoying the toil she was dishing out to him.

"Oh?" The vampire king sounded, "And who is going to show me about that?"

"Seras can help you out with that seeing as she's often the one training some of our more seasoned personnel with modern devices. I, too, can be of service if you should have any questions, of course. You might even want to acquaint yourself with some of the men since most have only heard rumours of your existence," Integra suggested.

"That could be fun," he murmured.

Integra was not in the mood for nonsense, especially after that meeting with the Round Table council. "Never mind the thought of spooking them, Alucard. They are people you may have to work with at times so, please, do not have my men wetting their pants by terrorising them."

"If they piss themselves then you might want to reconsider their worth, don't you agree?" he reasoned.

Integra sighed. "That's true but you aren't just any garden variety vampire… they have never meet anyone quite like yourself. Therefore, you will not be releasing any restriction levels below three around my men. Got it?"

The vampire watched her evenly, "As you wish, my Master."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alucard can't help himself lol! Once again many thanks for reading! The plot continues to thicken. Har har. There were so many names and new faces to introduce in this chapter! Gah! The Convention of Twelve. Some of them, as you know have already been shared with us in the OVA but many I had to invent like Alastair Kershaw, Mr. Walden Blackensfield and Mr. Dagwood Morgan. They all have an important role in this fic though! Still they're kind of an annoying group, no? lol! In the next chapter Integra gets a steamy surprise. Stay tuned for Chapter 4: Alucard's Castle.
> 
> My extended thanks goes out to all those that read, kudo'd, bookmarked and commented!


	4. Alucard's Castle

**Hellsing Manor - August 4, 8:52 p.m.**

Integra still had a headache but was too stubborn to take some medication for it. Even the light supper she had earlier did not help her constitution as she hoped it might. Instead, she sat behind her enormous oak desk with reports scattered across the surface of possible cases involving ghouls hunted by some self-proclaimed holy warriors of some underground church organization. There were records of communications between individuals but nothing that shed light on anything that required Hellsing's attention. Right now, there was nothing new about the severed finger delivered to the Round Table this morning, only that it, indeed, belonged to a human male.

The phone sat at the edge of the desk, blinking with pending messages she missed while dining. There was an endless series of electronic dings, chirps and buzzing sounds indicating that someone beyond the walls of her manor required her attention.

Integra sighed.

Running an organization that hunts monsters was exhausting, yet, it was something born into her very soul. She had her own group of trained military personnel, men and women coming from elite sanctions like the SAS or the MI5 working for her, people at the top of their game. These specially trained Hellsing Special Forces were ready for anything, but more often than not used on smaller cases or as backup. In all reality, the most dangerous cases could usually only be dealt with by Seras or Alucard, seeing as it was futile to send humans to fight the worst monsters.

Her father, Arthur Hellsing, left her with this organization at the age of twelve—she was only a girl, but she took on the responsibility without complaint. She took on the responsibility by murder, killing her uncle Richard who was ruthlessly going to murder her for the lead role of the family business. What choice did she have? It was kill or be killed. She played her part well, or so she believed, she managed the organization like a drill sergeant.  

Now she had to ask herself, what did she have to show for it after all these years… forming an uncertain attachment to one of the deadliest of all monsters still roaming the earth? Alucard—Dracula... oh, yes, how clever of her ancestors to change his name into an anagram. His list of other names is ample. Integra could not even begin to list them all.

She groaned deeply and sat back, rubbing her temples with two fingers on each side of her head. Yes, he was a monster, a vile bloodsucking monster in every sinister sense of the word. However, with her he was anything but that vile creature and, truthfully, a part of her did not care that he was. It was almost poetic justice on her part—her life spent around freaks. It was only proper that she should end up attached to one. Given the numerous times she has ordered the ruthless deaths of many beings, be it human or monster, she often wondered if she had not become a monster herself. Perhaps that is a human's plight when dedicating ones' life to hunting and slaying the creatures of darkness… a person needed to become one.

Integra scoffed, Alucard used to take great delight in taunting her about it, wondering if she enjoyed giving such orders that resulted in someone's brutal death. It used to burn her up inside and she lashed out venomously at him when he did this but… maybe he had a point. Fighting a war against monsters reneged all pointing of fingers.

Rules were meant to be broken, she thought with a dark smile.

Her computer gave another obnoxious chirp and Integra decided she had had enough for the day. Whatever they wanted, they could very well take it and shove it. It would be there later. She worked hard _dammit_ and she deserved the rest of the evening to herself.

Not that she would ever tell anyone such a thing.

The world does not need to know everything there is about Integra Hellsing and keeping them guessing… was how she preferred it. It was a wise rule for any swordsman and she would always be at the ready, if she could help it.

As she got up from her desk, she briefly wondered if Alucard was still asleep—that lazy good-for-nothing vampire has been sleeping the last two days into oblivion since he returned, except for today's meeting (of which he had the nerve to whine about). Maybe after all that inner soul-destroying he was finally getting some peaceful rest.

Integra could only speculate, perhaps she'd ask him about that later.

Before she left the room, she noted the summer sun setting outside the window. It's vibrant pinks were strewn across the sky, highlighting the smattering of clouds spread out like gnarly twisted tree branches. It was beautiful and somewhere in the back of her mind, she could hear her father's voice.

 _"Do you know what they say about skies like this, Integral, my child?"_ He had said _. "A red sky at night is a sailor's delight."_

Integra wore a tired smile. "I wonder if you're right, Father. Is this sky a promise of good tidings to come? Will tomorrow bring a few less headaches? I somehow doubt it."

Indeed, she missed her father and at times like these wondered what he would say to her given her current situation. Would he be proud? Would he be disappointed? Would he understand?

She turned away from the window feeling a little defeated and headed for the door. Leaving the office behind, she padded down the dim hallways to her bedroom and closed the door behind her softly. She picked up her cigars and lighter from the night side table and from the cupboard underneath, a bottle of bourbon and a glass. Along with that, she also picked up a book she was currently reading and headed for her en suite bathroom.

 _Time to unwind a little bit_ , she thought to herself. Perhaps three decades ago she would have berated herself for leaving her desk while there was still work to do. However, she learned something detrimental in all these long years… she learned that no matter what she did there would always be work. It did not stop nor did it dwindle in demand. She simply learned that enough was enough and that if she didn't stop to breathe… she would quite literally go mad.

She didn't regret spending most of her life dedicated to her job, but she did start to wonder about all the things she's been missing out on. Life was incredibly short and that notion hit her hard by the time she reached her forties. She knew that life was not something to take for granted.

Therefore, with her book and booze in hand, she proceeded to her bathroom and nudged the light switch on with her back of her wrist, trying not to make too much noise with the bottle and glass that she carried in one hand. Stupid, she knew, carrying a glass into the bathroom where if it should fall on the hard ceramic floor, would shatter into a million shards of diamond-like pieces.

She did it anyways. Because she could.

Setting her stash down on the countertop next to the sink, she went over to the antique claw-footed bathtub and turned on the faucets. Once the temperature was to her liking, she plugged it and added some lavender bubble bath, heavy on the bubbles. Then she looked around suspiciously before she began to disrobe. The coast was clear.

No lurking vampires… or, so she thought.

Behind her back, in the long gilded picture-framed mirror above the sink, the glass turned black and a bunch of red eyes varying in size opened.

Oblivious, Integra removed her business suit, jacket, pants and shirt, hanging up each article of clothing from the hooks on the back of the bathroom door. She reached behind her to unclasp her bra, letting it fall to the floor and scooting it away with her foot. Lastly, she slipped out of her white lace panties and kicked them off in the same direction as the bra.

She had waited all day for this.

When she turned back towards the counter looking for the bourbon, she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. Integra scrutinized her long lanky body and wondered if it really looked like that of an old woman. Her skin was still rich and soft, her femininity was a bush of blonde curls and she never really had much of a bosom to speak of, so they hadn't changed that much.

Still, she was in her fifties and she wasn't stupid, she was middle-aged. Her glasses and eye patch were horrendous. She didn't feel glamorous or sexy or even something to be desired. Alucard was an idiot.

She grabbed a hair tie off the counter from a small dish filled with multiple hair ties and put her long hair up into a loose knot. Next, she unscrewed the bottle and poured two fingers worth of amber-coloured bourbon into the crystal tumbler and brought it with her, along with her book, and set them on the edge of the small bench next to the tub.

The eyes returned to the mirror.

Integra settled into her bath and sighed as she leaned back, shutting off the water faucets with a foot. The water and bubbles enveloped her like a warm blanket and she closed her eyes briefly, savouring the sensation.

No commotions. No angry politicians. No gunfire or explosions. No monsters.

Enjoying a rare moment of internal peace, she reached over for her glass and took a sip, letting the alcohol burn down her chest and into her belly where it spread out like fingers on a hand. Then she retrieved her book and opened it to where she had dog-eared the page. It was a steamy account of a woman and her forbidden lover and it was just what she needed. Integra was eager to find out what becomes of their sinful relationship.

The room was utterly silent and she soaked for a long while before Alucard phased through the mirrored wall and countertop, coming to stand right in the middle of the bathroom. He was in his usual red gear, minus the hat and glasses.

She was so into her book that Integra did not notice him at all.

"May I join you?"

This time the beastly vampire managed to spook her quite well. Integra gasped and dropped her cigar into the water where it fizzed out. She nearly dropped her book, too.

"Jesus Christ, Alucard!" She cursed, fishing for the nasty wet cigar at the bottom of her bathtub. She threw it out viciously.

"Well, that's not something you hear every day," he mused with a deep chuckle, "Putting my name in the same sentence as our lord and saviour."

Integra snapped, her mood of relaxation popping like a balloon, "What gives you the right to invade my privacy? Get the hell out!"

"I have no right to be here," he said agreeably, "But I cannot help it. A beautiful maiden has caught my attention just as she caught it so many years ago and she has yet to let go." Alucard wandered to the other side of her bathtub and knelt next to it. He removed a glove and swirled a finger inside of her glass of bourbon and then he stuck it into his mouth to taste it. "Mmm, nice choice," he murmured and settled crimson eyes on her.

"What do you want, Alucard?" She asked with irritation.

"I already told you what I want. I asked if I could join you."

Integra sniffed. "Get out."

The vampire smirked. "Why do you lie to me, Integra, when I know that is not what you want? It's not like we haven't done this before. As long as this water is not blessed then bathing is still very enjoyable."

"Not with you it won't be." Integra replied, her tone icy.

"You're still mad at me. Time has reset the past." Alucard decided. "Or you are embarrassed about letting me see you undressed now because you believe yourself to be old and unattractive."

"Do _NOT_ invade my thoughts, Alucard." She warned. "I order you not to do so. It is one wish that I greatly desire and you will respect me by not to doing it. It isn't right."

"You know I can only hear your thoughts because I have tasted your blood, same with Seras. But if you insist, Master," he relented. "I will not read your thoughts from this point on… unless you order me otherwise."

"Thank you. Now leave."

Without another word, Alucard stood up complacently and headed for the door. Just as his body ghosted through the wood, he heard his master saying something and his grin grew so wide it nearly split his pale face in two.

"What was that, I believe I did not hear you?" It was too good not to play with her.

Integra wore a scowl. " _I said…_ I changed my mind. Do not make me say it again."

"I would never dream of it." The cunning vampire returned to the room, standing next to her bathtub once again. He gazed down at her all submerged underneath mounds of pearly suds. With eyes smoldering, he dutifully began to remove his clothing, starting with his red duster.

Integra felt as if she was twenty-two again and she turned her face the other way without thinking. She was blushing and it irked her, immensely. Her lack of sexual experience showed greatly in her reactions. It was not as if she hadn't done this with him before, or many other tantalising things in the past for that matter, but it has been a _long_ time since she did. Besides, that was the past… things were different now.

"Why are you taking off your clothes when you could just skip all of that?"

True, he could just will his clothing away if he wanted to but he was enjoying her response too much. "Removing one's clothing is all part of the show… you gave me one and now, it is my turn." He told her, chuckling at how she dared not look at him. "Only… it's no fun if you're looking the other way."

Integra reminded herself that she was no longer twenty-two and that—to hell with it… she _wanted_ to look. She was a grown woman and the head of the Hellsing Organization for crying out loud, she could look if she damn well pleased. He was being so smug and she would not give him that satisfaction.

Steeling her nerve, Integra turned her head tenaciously towards him, her face expressionless as if she'd seen hundreds of men undressing before. Still, the crests of her cheeks were still scorching. She ignored it and let her gaze travel over the shedding vampire…

…and lost all wits about her.

Alucard revelled in her naivety while his fingers unravelled his cravat. The red ribbon gave a gentle swish as he pulled it away from his collar. He had already removed the coat, the black suit jacket and now he wasted no time with the rest of his clothing.

Integra enjoyed the show more than she was willing to admit. It was maddening how this creature could look so perfectly male after all the times he's been torn apart by bullets and blown to bloody bits. Yet, before her, that flawless toned body, long and lean, got into her bathtub at the other end without a care in the world. Even though they were both in the same bathtub, there was plenty of room and she was nicely hidden beneath the bubbles. So was he.

Integra felt herself relax a bit.

Moving her legs to one side, knees up a bit and poking out of the bubbles, she let the vampire stretch his legs out on the other side. She felt his feet at her hip. "You say I gave you a show… so, you were spying on me even then?"

Alucard made that crazed face of his. "Do you really have to ask?" he replied with much mirth. "I was just waking up and I heard the plumbing running inside this old house and figured out what you were up to. I wouldn't miss this for all the blood in world."

Integra guffawed. "I have forgotten what it can be like to have you around."

"You have forgotten how much fun we used to have when the kiddies are fast asleep," he reminded mischievously and placed his arms on the sides of the tub like a king on his throne. "I hope you don't mind too much that I have interrupted your – _you–_ time."

"Well, now that you're here I wanted to ask you a few things anyways." Integra appeared all business.

Alucard let out a heavy sigh, swatting aside a tuft of bubbles with his large hand. "Are we really going to discuss serious matters now?"

"Yes— _now_. And it's not entirely serious. I was curious about your knowledge of the Evil Eye and why you reacted as you did today at the meeting." Integra explained as she watched him toy with some bubbles with his finger.

He looked at her from under heavy-lidded eyes, his hair shaggy around his face. "In my human life the Evil Eye was connected to the dark arts and to The Devil himself, it was a symbol for people that served the netherworld. My ancestors were no strangers to the dark arts, to necromancy; it is where I learned many things handed down to me through our bloodline. Anyways, it became a symbol of warning later on; a messenger might deliver such an image of the Eye to declare war on their enemies." He explained casually. "By the time it was just me in my pitiful castle centuries later the power of the Evil Eye became nothing more than a superstition, although a highly regarded one. Romanians refer to it as _deochi_ and believe it still has power to inflict misfortune on the person receiving it."

Alucard grunted and continued. "When you opened that box all I could think about was what if someone was aiming to hurt you? What if someone was declaring war?"

By the time he was finished, Integra had lit a fresh cigar. She blew away the smoke and said, "I opened it but it was given to the whole council, not just to me. What bothers me more is that it happened on the day I announced your return, as if someone knew about it already. Still, Sir Iron's said, it is not the first time the Military Headquarters have received such strange things. It was not addressed to Hellsing personally."

"He might be right about that but it is the first time someone has sent The Eye," Alucard reminded her. "I don't think someone sent it without at least understanding its implication."

Integra's head began to pound again and she let her head fall back while staring up at the ceiling. "Then we will just have to remain vigilant and hopefully we will find out who that finger belonged to. We might get some leads and something to go on. We're even checking the package it was sent in for DNA or anything else that could lead us in the right direction."

"For now we wait and I hate waiting especially if someone has it in their mind to hurt you. If someone tries to harm you they'll have to go through _me_ first." The vampire said dangerously.

How she missed that feeling of having his gallant protection but his long absence thrust a wedge of fear into her. She did not want to become so complacent or dependant on him again. "I'm not _that_ easy to push over," Integra reminded him.

"No, you are not." He said and thought to himself. _But you are still a human and still made of fragile bone and tissue._

Integra picked up her bourbon and took a sip before saying daringly, "So, what would you like to ask me?"

"Oh?" One long dark brow perked up instantly. "What do you mean, exactly… is this some kind of trap?" He sounded so hesitant and guarded all of the sudden.

Integra laughed. "Like I'm baiting you or something..." She smiled impishly and taunted, "…maybe I am. I'm offering you a chance to ask whatever you want of me. Don't you want to know anything?"

"The options are endless!" He hissed excitedly. "This I assure you."

"Then be swift, vampire. I might change my mind."

The abrupt challenge presented to him sent a wild thrill of arousal through his entire body. What was his master trying to tell him? Alucard was not ready for her rapid change of attitude and yet he never felt more delighted by the torture. His mind went over many options but for him only one thing was perfectly obvious. There was only one thing he _had_ to ask.

"Are you trying to tell me you are willing to become my No Life Queen?"

Integra choked on her drink. " _That_ is what you want to know?"

"Of course," he answered.

The hopeful gaze he gave her made Integra actually cringe. "Alucard, that isn't what I meant. Grr! Why do you have to go and make it all awkward? Do I _have_ to spell it out for you?"

Alucard couldn't remember the last time he felt so baffled. Women were no less confusing now than they were 500 years ago, he decided. "Your rambling mystifies me," he told her frankly.

The Hellsing woman picked up a blob of bubbles and literally threw it at him. "Get out," she ordered.

What had he done? He smirked disobediently with scattered bubbles decorating his hair. "No."

His gaze landed on the book she was reading earlier and he picked it up. His eyes widened incredulously. "Lady Chatterley's Lover," he said reading the title aloud and then he gave a lewd chortle. "I've read this naughty little number at least three times but you—" He looked up at her sharply, his lips curled into a devious sharp-toothed grin. "I see. I believe I finally understand what you're trying to tell me."

Integra glared at him and reached out to grab the book but he held it straight up in the air, far from her reach. "Give it back!" She cried but realised her reaching was giving Alucard an eyeful of her soapy breasts.

He laughed uproariously at her struggles and watched her return to the cover of the water. "Why do you hide from me when you would rather I unearth you, expose your very soul before me? Isn't that what you want me to ask?"

"Again you taunt me, servant." She said stiffly and finished the rest of her bourbon with one gulp, and then she crushed her cigar out in the ashtray.

"I'm not," he insisted and set the book down before he got out of the bathtub, foamy suds racing down his legs and from his backside. The vampire found Integra's fluffy white towel resting on another hook and holding it open to her he urged, "Get out."

Integra stood her ground. " _You_ do not give _me_ orders."

"Fine, if that's the way it has to be."

Alucard simply reached into the water and scooped her out of it as if he were picking up a wet kitten. Water splashed to the floor and he placed her on her feet, wrapping the towel around her bare body, then he picked her up again in both arms.

"What are you doing? Put me down!"

He did not answer her. Instead, the nosferatu opened the bathroom door and carried her to the bed where he laid her down on top of the light blue comforter gently. Then he climbed over top of her like a predator approaching his prey, locks of wild black hair framing his sharp features, teeth bared. His mistress looked up at him with something akin to fire in her one blue eye, whether it be hatred or passion, he didn't care.

"I order you not to turn me, Alucard!" Integra held the towel still wrapped around her tightly, looking up at him shocked.

The vampire king all but rolled his eyes. "That's _not_ what I'm doing," he rumbled at her. "I won't turn you unless you ask for it from you own free will, so in the meantime stop yelling or everyone in the house will know what we're up to. Seras might come busting in here and see you all naked and terrified."

He laughed deeply.

"What the hell _are_ you doing then?" she demanded, the proximity of his own naked body alarmingly close to hers.

"Now it is _you_ that insists that I spell it out." He removed her glasses and set them on the side table. "You want me to give you pleasure. I get it, you have not been with anyone in all these years and you remain pure in body but that does not mean you still cannot experience pleasure. I will not take your chastity for obvious reasons but I can still make you come undone. You must be starved for it and there hasn't been anyone to give you what you desire. Has there?" he asked her.

Integra had set the bait all right and she had caught her big fish. She could not play stupid now. "No, I haven't. There has been no one," she said without falter. And then out of nowhere, a burst of repressed anger enveloped her and she found herself hollering at him. "You hurt me when you didn't return! I didn't think you were ever coming back. You left me all alone! _It hurt!_ You have no idea how much that hurt. You… _you_ _asshole!_ "

"HA! That's it, get angry. Forget about your stiff English pride, Integra—give it to me." He growled. "Call me every name in the book. Rip me a new one. Let it out..."

"I hate that you make me feel this way, as if I'm just another one of your victims. It's a disgrace. I'm a Hellsing. _You_ are the monster. And we shouldn't even be having this discussion." Integra clamoured, now on the verge of frustrated tears. "I don't know why you came back here when you could have gone anywhere with your new power. Nothing is holding you back. Why?"

Still on his fours hovering above her, Alucard scoffed. "Believe what you will but there is only one woman I dare claim is strong enough to call my Queen. That is you, my master. You are my equal, don't you see? It is as if I have waited hundreds of years to meet you. Indeed, I have done terrible things, but if I have learned nothing from those times then what a pitiful creature I am today. I came back because this is my home. Seras is my home, too. You, on the other hand… you are my _castle_."

Integra was stunned. "How can you say something like that? Y-you're only a monster… that's what everyone says," she murmured and yet her hands still found their way into his hair. She could not stop it. The wheels were already spinning out of control. "Kiss me— _do it now_ ," she commanded him.

Alucard fulfilled the order and kissed his master hard enough to make her whimper. His sharp teeth, though not elongated, pierced her bottom lip with his enthusiasm making her moan out in pain but he groaned euphorically. He urged her to part her lips and let him enter her mouth with his tongue, kissing her wetly all while enjoying the sweet taste of her blood. She fisted his hair hard and he ground himself against her towel, her heat nearly burning through it. His undead body, it was drawn to her living warmth as a moth was to a flame.

When he pulled back, he licked her wounded lip, fighting the rampant temptation to bite down on it harder. His eyes burned a brighter shade of red now and he gazed into her shimmering blue eye that watched him intently. "You're so perfectly edible right now," he said with an evil twitter.

"Then you may have a taste but… _no biting_. Got it?" She told him cleverly. "Mmm… make me feel glorious again."

"You needn't even ask, my beautiful darling master… Integra..." He whispered her name, his voice deep and velvet. "I would do this bidding as much as you please. Just to hear you moan and scream and come undone all over my fingers is almost as sinful as it would be to drink your virgin blood," he assured her.

Integra let go of her towel and said to him wickedly, "I like what you've done to your hair."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have this headcanon that these two fooled around plenty before Alucard was gone for 30 years XD! I hope you enjoyed the warm and fuzzies Hellsing style! I assure you this story will not be all warm and fuzz so Alucard and Integra need to take advantage of all this down time before shit hits the fan. This chapter was a lot of fun to write and helped to build some character... they deserved this time together after thirty f'ing years dammit. I imagine Integra's attitude would change a little regarding her maturity since she's gotten older. Chapter 5: Old Bats. New Tricks. Alucard gets his own cellphone/laptop and learns a few thing from Seras and the Hellsing Intelligence Division.
> 
> Thanks for reading or the kudos! And an extra thanks to reviewers!


	5. Old Bat. New Tricks.

Alucard was in a _fabulous_ mood when he left Integra's chambers and headed down to his own in the basement of the manor. He could have tortured her all night but the woman needed her rest, she was an important person around here. Being the head of the Hellsing Organization was an onerous position and he didn't need her to blame him for keeping her up. No, it wouldn't do to exhaust his beautiful master with endless pleasure until the sun rose. Besides, she wasn't a night crawler such as him.

 _Night crawler?_ A horribly wayward grin crept onto his face with that notion.

Exactly. If she would only accept his offer to become a vampire, a night crawler, then they wouldn't have to worry about petty things like exhaustion or staying up too late. The night would belong to _them_. They would feed from it. Revel in it. His lips twisted immorally. His wretched smile grew bigger, wildly entertained by his wicked thoughts. Oh yes, he imagined the two of them spending an entire evening ravishing each other with sinful delights. It was near impossible to contain when this was the first real contact he had with his lovely mistress in over thirty years.

How the masculine side of him greatly anticipated his conquering deflowering of her. One day it would be so. Of this, he had no doubt. Mmm! And the very idea made parts of him ache with madness all over again.

 _There is no rush._ He reminded himself and reprimanded. _Patience… you monster._

He chuckled with extravagance while he made a quick detour to the kitchen for a snack along the way. After all that, he was famished—Integra, my… she sure had talented hands. Alucard was positively purring. Brimming with afterglow. Oh, how he _loved_ his women English. Underneath all of that proud and proper stuff, they were passionate sirens.

But in his opinion, Integra Hellsing trumped them all.

The woman simply had no idea how important she was to him, and not just because she was an incredible kisser. She was his saviour. She gave his deplorable existence real purpose. She was one of the few people he had met in all his long, _long_ years that actually stirred emotions in him. She made him tingle all over, gave him the feels. Integra was his knight, even if she was a woman.

In fact, that made it even more interesting!

Deep down he knew her bloodlust was nearly as strong as his was, even for a human, even if she would not always admit it. Declaring war on those that deserve it, those that have wronged her was something born in her, he could tell. And battling against the evils of darkness was an even grander type of fight than those between nations. Integra Hellsing did not go easy on her enemies and he greatly admired that about her. When her sabre swings… people's heads fly.

It was an honour to do her bidding. To be the arm that does the swinging that cuts off the head.

But Alucard can't take all the credit for she is quite capable of defending herself when need be. Her brazen confidence could mow people down with just a simple glance. She didn't take shit from anyone, not even him… the perfect woman. Indeed. There was no place in the entire world that he would rather call home.

He was telling her the truth. She was a fortress worthy of his respect.

His mind drifted to past times, the Hellsing family, Integra's father, Arthur. He was a clever man as well, strong-spirited with driven devotion to his cause. None would dare oppose his ideals or his iron fist, certainly not Alucard. A family devoted to studying the obscure and the extermination of monsters.

His mistress was definitely Arthur's daughter. And how quaint that she now struggles with her own demons as she tries to understand her attraction to him. Alucard knows. He knows it has to be difficult for her to accept and he wonders how long she will keep him waiting. What will Integra Hellsing do?

The choice will have to be hers. He would not have it any other way.

He sipped on his snack and the coppery taste lingering on his tongue returned his thoughts to the bloody kiss he shared with his master a while ago. Yes, thirty years felt too long to go without tasting her kisses or her body or… her blood. He twittered profoundly as if someone were giving him a nice scratching behind his ear.

Seras overheard Alucard's licentious laughter coming from different pockets of the house. She used it to track him down to the carpeted hallway that led to the entrance of their basement quarters. "There you are. I was looking _everywhere_ for you, Master. Geesh. One minute I felt your presence all the way at the other end of the manor and a second later in the kitchen—and now you are here." She seemed a little aggravated about having to chase him down that way.

Cocking her head to the side suspiciously, she narrowed eyes at him. "Hey, why do you look as if you've eaten a canary?"

The towering vampire merely grinned down at her. "Because the cat has won this round," he answered, looking way too smug.

The draculina went, "Huh? What the _hell_ does that mean?"

"It's nothing," Alucard responded with less smugness, getting his head back in the game and out of the clouds. "What do you want?"

"Well, I'm supposed to train you in the latest technology and give you a couple of new toys, remember? The night is still young and it would be a perfect time to show you a few things while we have downtime." She explained. "I have an awesome new device—two actually—for you, and once you learn how to use them I think you'll really get a kick out it."

"A new weapon…?" He ventured a little more excitedly than he expected.

Seras shook her head. "Sorry, not a weapon… it's a phone and a laptop. They've been around for ages but have come a long way since the year 2000. They're very handy tools and a great way to share information with each other without leaving a paper trail. Master Integra or I can send you case photos and files with a click of a button."

The old vampire had no idea what gibberish she was speaking. "Sounds boring," he claimed outright.

Seras sighed and wore a dismal expression. _Maybe you can't teach old bats new tricks, after all._

"That's what all the _old_ folks say," she teased, receiving an apathetic glance from her sire. "Look, I'm sure when you learn how to operate them you won't be able to put it down. It does other things than just work-related stuff, ya know."

Instead of biting the donated blood bag, Alucard opted to drink from it as if he was savouring a cool new cocktail, sipping from the tube-like end. He was only half-listening. "Hmmm…" he sounded idly as he drank, his thoughts wandering back to the sexy noises his master was making when he was doing that thing with his tongue.

With a scowl, Seras placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. "You seem to have something else on your mind, Master. Maybe now is not a good time for training. We can reschedule if you have other things you wish to do. Is there something else you have to do?"

Alucard blinked when he realised Seras was actually talking to him. His precarious focus returned to his impatient fledgling. She stared at him as if he was a disobedient child. He guffawed. "There _is_ something I really want to attend to later. However, I suppose if we must do this 'training'… I will submit to you my full attention now."

The female vampire beamed. "Great! Then let's go over to the intelligence control room where we keep all the equipment and where we monitor and network everything. It's a very cool place and you'll meet a few of our teammates there."

"Oh goody," Alucard croaked sarcastically and Seras flashed him some cut-eye. He ignored her.

While they walked down the hall to another wing of the house, Seras wrinkled her nose. "What _is_ that?" She was sniffing around, her meticulous nose leading in her master's direction. "Why do you smell like lavender? Did you take a _bath_?" Her voice sounded squeaky and surprised.

"And what if I did?" Alucard replied gruffly. "You ask too many questions, Police Girl."

Seras glowered at the moniker but she kept her face forward. "I thought we were done with that nickname?" she grumbled under her breath.

* * *

**Vatican City - August 5, 12:24 a.m.**

Far below the ancient city, in a deep underground chamber, underneath the sprawling iconic buildings of Rome, Italy, the Iscariots or Section XIII, a secret organization ruled by the Pope, were in the middle of an emergency meeting.

 _"She's what!"_ hollered the leader of the Iscariot Organization.

Bishop Makube launched himself up to his feet, his crucifix dangling wildly off the long chain he wore over his dark, priestly-like robes. He was normally a very calm and patient man, laid back even, but not tonight. "This is bad. This is very, _very_ bad." He said in the graceful Italian language.

Other members of Section 13, who were all dressed in a similar ministerial fashion, sat around a square block table underneath a single dim ceiling lamp. The gloomy room was a four-walled area constructed of cement and smelled of dank earth and musty dampness. It was completely soundproof and undetectable from any kind of spying apparatus. Scrambling devices were used anyways, just to be sure. A nescient person might think they were there for some kind of torture or interrogation if they entered such a space. Or both. Torture _and_ interrogation. However, they had no need to use the room for such grim activities, but rather, to keep their meeting hush-hush.

Heinkel Wolfe, second in command to Bishop Makube, leaned precariously back in her chair, arms crossed over her flat chest. She had one of her booted feet propped on the edge of the table in an arrogant manner. "She's defected by the vooks of it and to vhere… vee have no clues. She's jus' vanished, but vhat do you expect from a Regenerator assassin like that?" The sinister-looking Iscariot knight said in garbled speech, eyes glowering in the shadows beneath her scruffy wheat-coloured fringe.

An Iscariot with sharp features and a gravelly voice responded at once. "Then we must locate her, and quickly!"

Heinkel scoffed with something akin to amusement. "Ha! Good vuck wif that!"

Makube smoothed his hands over his grey hair that was longer in the front but short and tapered at the back. "She's one of our finest members… even Father Anderson trusted and admired her abilities and her trustworthy devotion to the church. I don't understand, _why now?_ " The poor priest wondered with valid concern. "His Holiness will not be pleased. The Vatican does not _need_ this kind of attention right now."

An older member with a greying goatee urged. "We must keep this quiet at all costs; we can't have a renegade assassin on the loose. She is one of our _best_ exorcists! You must locate her and stop this before she does anything to put this organization into jeopardy. Imagine the fallout with our supporters if such an individual is discovered to be associated to the Vatican?"

The Bishop leader gathered his strength and retort waving his hand nonchalantly at the older priest. "No matter, we won't let this issue become a problem. Our top-secret organization has been around for centuries. This is but one little incident, consider it swept off the front step. Maybe we are getting ourselves too worked up. Perhaps she will return when she's finished with whatever her business is… maybe it is personal and we have nothing to worry about."

A dark-haired priest wasn't buying that. "You are much more clear-headed about these sorts of matters than Maxwell ever was but we shouldn't get too complacent… this defector paladin has devastating natural powers, besides the enhancements she got from us."

Makube sighed. "Yes. That is all true but God shall provide us with the answers we seek. No?"

"That orphan vill only ve foun' if she vants to be foun'. God has nuffing to do vith it." Wolfe told them, removing her foot from the table and setting her chair down with a heavy thud on the cold hard floor. The trailing bandages around her scarred mouth came into light, moving closer the table. It was an old injury obtained from the werewolf Captain's bullet during the Millennium attack, which entered one side of her mouth and blasted out the other. Now around the scarred flesh, her back teeth were visible giving her the impression of having a constant mad-looking grin.

Makube propped himself up with two hands placed on the top of the table. A cool darkness surrounded his words. "God or no God, we'll see to it that we locate her and deal with her however necessary."

"We'll look into the matter right away, Your Excellency, Bishop Makube." One member insisted but there was more to share. "There is another matter of grave concern that must be brought to your attention. You may want to reclaim your seat," he suggested.

The Bishop's shoulders fell about an inch as he took his seat once again. " _Really?_ More bad news? I suppose when it rains sin, it pours down in troves. Continue."

"Word has it that the Hellsing Organization's ultimate weapon has returned."

Once again, Makube launched himself to his feet. _"That devil?!"_ He blasted. "Oh, this is terrible news, the _worst_. What kind of test of faith is this?" The man gave an overwhelmed sigh. "To think after all that carnage—after all of that _loss._ The humiliation for the Roman Catholic Church..."

He held his hands up to the heavens. "Will we _never_ be free of that unholy creature? Will there be no end to him?"

"It appears not, Your Excellency. Alucard remains loyal to Integra Hellsing seeing as he has returned to the Organization. But as long as she's around to carry his leash we shouldn't have to worry about him too much," said another member, shifting his glasses nervously with his finger.

Heinkel sniffed. "Vhat vorries me is vhat happens vhen his masfer is not avound any longer? Vhat then?"

The whole room seemed to shudder, quaking in their slippers.

"That is a chilling thought. Even after Nazi Major's hideous but magnificent scheme… it wasn't enough to send that monster back to hell." Makube looked truly devastated. "I hate to even suggest this but… does the defection of our paladin knight have anything to do with the return of Hellsing's dog?"

"What possible connection can she have to that sinful heathen?" A fellow Iscariot member asked in flat-out disbelief.

Heinkel Wolfe was smiling even if no one else could tell that she was. She watched, as every Iscariot at the table remained horribly silent, she watched them squirm, eyes darting at one another as they looked for answers, pondering the possibilities.

No one had anything to offer.

* * *

**Hellsing Manor - August 5, 2:15 a.m.**

At first Alucard thought that these new 'toys' were going to be a real bore, never mind confusing and obnoxious pieces of junk, things that mortals often invented for the sole purpose of unforeseen frustration, which was something they seemed to be really good at bringing upon themselves. It was rare when they invented something he admired like the Jackal, women's lingerie, or the television and of course, neat military-grade killing machines.

However, he was completely wrong about these devices given to him by Seras.

It took some getting used to but this new laptop and phone, which was just like an overpowered two-way radio with a computer inside and a small display screen, was _really_ something. The phone was sleek, something right out of an old spy movie, and it fit nicely into his hand. Not as nicely as the Casull or Jackal (which was sadly destroyed thirty years ago), but it sure was appealing. The best part was that it came with interesting images, sounds and better yet, games.

Indeed, the world of technology has come a long way since 1999. Seems now computers could do just about anything, and he only began to understand a small part of it. Now, if he would only pay attention to the lesson.

"The Hellsing Organization has an entire network that uses software created by our own IT agents. All our systems are secure and we make sure to catch all back door leaks that sometimes get overlooked," said Marvin Bartram, a stocky medium-height man wearing a dark blue Hellsing uniform with a shock of orange hair.

They were inside a fairly large room where on one wall was a line of computer terminals and a wall of television screens showing footage from cameras situated all over the manor. A few other men were operating these stations not paying them any attention while Marvin helped Seras teach the surly old vampire how to operate his phone and his computer. They sat on the other side of the room at a table discussing Hellsing's counter-measures against this era's Big Brothers.

Or rather, Marvin was the one doing most of the discussing.

The Hellsing agent continued. "We have people on the job keeping this network free of any breaches and vulnerabilities from outside sources. There shouldn't be anyone snooping around our network for too long."

Alucard glanced up lazily from an addictive phone game he was currently engaged in, where you line up these colourful jellybeans and strange looking shapes, to the agent with mild consideration. "I'll take your word for it," he murmured. He would not admit it but most of what Seras and Marvin were saying to him still sounded like alien speak.

Seras gave the technician an apologetic smile and then turned to look at Alucard. "Master, now that we've shown you how to use these devices, feel free to try them out. The more you practice the better you'll get at using them. It takes time."

"Remember," Marvin piped up. "We cannot abuse social media, so please stick to the bogus accounts we've provided since we only use those sources as a place to garner information. Understand?"

The No Life King looked at the small hand-held device in his hand as if it would magically tell him the answer. "'Social media', now, those are websites you mentioned where people make something called 'posts' and tell everyone about what is happening in their lives?"

"That's right," Marvin replied with patience.

"Why would anyone with sense want to do that?" wondered the vampire king. "It's like exposing yourself and your vulnerabilities to your enemy. I'll never fully understand humans."

Seras laughed softly. "It's a neat way for people to keep connected by sharing information about themselves with other people. It works for us when they do that because then they indirectly give us information about what is happening around the world every second of the day. We can filter the information and if anything pops up that Hellsing needs to look into, we have a place to start looking. There is more information on the Internet than in all the libraries in the world."

_"Really…?"_

"Yes, Master. It's true. You can look up _anything_ , it can be rather addictive so don't say I didn't warn you. It's the same with those silly apps." She nudged her chin in the direction of the stupid game her sire had discovered in the application store. "You can even stream endless amounts of video, too." Seras explained.

"Oh…?" There was an inkling of life shinning in Alucard's eyes now.

"I already told you that it is what we call video files that have been uploaded to the Internet and when we watch it, it is called streaming," Seras clarified. "All you really need to understand is how to email, use and send files and answer your phone when we call you, or text. Walter used to do a lot of this type of work for us but, well…we've had to learn for ourselves."

"Yes, I remember Walter sniffing out strange things on his computer," the nosferatu recalled. "The content people put on there for the world to see, is incredibly astounding."

"Yes it is. So, I remind you not to carelessly post things on the Internet without thinking twice. The IT department is invaluable to the Hellsing Organization." Seras told him. "They're excellent at their jobs; let's not make more work for them."

"Can I have Integra's phone number?" Alucard asked on the sly.

The red-eyed draculina smirked at him and rolled her eyes. "Her number along with mine is already programmed onto your phone. I showed you how to do that. Go check your contacts. And try not to spam Integra, she doesn't like that."

"I'm sure she doesn't," he quipped. _Which was all the more the reason to do it._ "Will that be all for now?"

"Yes, I think that ought to do it for now," Seras said and got up from the seat at the table they were sitting which was littered with electronic devices and parts. "Say, Master, why don't we go to the range and blast a couple of targets? It'll be fun."

Alucard pushed his chair back and stood up to face his hopeful fledgling, but first he looked at the time on his new phone. "Hmm, that's tempting but maybe later, right now there's something I _must_ see to."

The blond girl furrowed her brows. "Like what…?" she asked incredulously. "It's the middle of the night."

"Which is the perfect time of day," Alucard replied as if she should know better. "You both have my gratitude for your patience. I believe I may enjoy these little gadgets more than I thought." He glanced at Marvin who nodded at him hesitantly. The man was still uneasy around the red-clad vampire.

"Sure… anytime," the Hellsing operative said with a nervous twitter.

Then just like that, Alucard vanished from their sight.

Seras crossed her arms over her chest and made an irritated sound. "Goodnight, Marvin, thanks for all your help," she offered pleasantly. "I'll see you around." The blonde-haired woman left the control room and wandered down the hallway thinking aloud. "Now that's strange, I can't sense Master's presence at all. Can you, Pip?"

"Good evening, _mon_ _chérie._ " Pip's voice answered from all around her even from inside the female vampire's body. " _Non_ girly, Alucard is not in the building."

"Outside the manor…?"

"Hmm, nope. He is not outside either. How do you suppose he's done that?" Pip wondered.

Seras gave an educated guess. "Schrodinger's power…"

"That's not a good thing, is it?" The Frenchman asked, unsure.

"I'm not sure but Master said he is nowhere and everywhere and that's exactly what the Major said to me and Sir Integra thirty years ago. It's got me thinking, is all. I believe it's how he's been able to show up in so many places in the manor faster than I can keep up to him." Seras told her familiar. "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about, but… I still wonder where he's run off to."

"As I have told you many times, my _belle femme_ , you worry too much. Let's kick back and have a drink maybe play a little game of hide-and-seek," he suggested playfully. "Who knows, maybe Alucard needs a little fresh air. On the other hand, maybe Sir Integra sent him out on a small errand. It's none of our business."

"She usually wouldn't do that without telling me about it," Seras mentioned. "But you're right, Pip, it's none of my business. I'm sure it's nothing, I just hope he doesn't abuse this new power of his."

"So… how about that drink…? I'm dying to taste a cold beer or a glass of red wine."

At that, Seras laughed softly. "You can't be 'dying' when you're already dead, silly." She teased. "Alright, just hold on for a moment." She focused on her shadow abilities and removed Pip's soul from inside her body and from the mansion.

It was only temporary, but she missed him _so_ much.

The transparent figure of the Wild Geese captain materialized into a solid form of Pip Bernadotte, complete with his brown Australian slouch hat that sat over his long braided light-brown hair. He wore his eye patch while his one teal-coloured eye glowed brightly as he smiled warmly at Seras. The way he was patting himself down appeared as if he was checking for wounds over his bulky beige coat and dark orange scarf. "Fuck yes, I almost feel whole again," he exclaimed with a stretch. "But don't take that the wrong way, Seras. I don't regret a thing. Now if you'll excuse me."

He dug into his pockets until he found a pack of cigarettes. "A smoke for the wounded soldier," he said desperately like a man that just found water in the desert.

Seras detested his foul habit but she enjoyed seeing Pip's face more. "I'll tolerate your smelly smoke since you've been so good and stopped smoking inside of me." She took a few steps closer to him and flicked him with her finger on his bandaged nose, in a much gentler way than she did when she first met him all of those years ago.

It grabbed his attention instantly and instead of lighting the cigarette, which hung limply from his lips now, he threw his arms around her and hauled her in close to him urgently. "You know when you do that," he whispered, "I lose all my will to fight or smoke these fucking stinky cigarettes or talk useless shit. In fact, even after thirty years, I still want to kiss you forever."

"You shouldn't keep me waiting then." Seras hinted with a devilish smile.

 _"Mon dieu..."_ Pip groaned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love me a little Pip and Seras because they are such a cute couple in a strange, twisted sort of way. But that's what we love about Hellsing, right? The strange. *loves* Anyways, I couldn't help but add some silly humour and reflection to this chapter along with some dark secret Iscariot business. What are they all worked up about, hmm? It will all come to light eventually. And I will try to not to take so long to post but my job eats away at my life! This week is murder. Gah!
> 
> It truly is fun to share with other Hellsing fans! I hope I can continue to entertain you the way that this story has entertained me. I'm excited that you liked the last chapter. I must mention that there is a bit of sexual content in this story, not too much... yet. It is rated M for a reason. The end will prove worth waiting for tho.. I hope so at least! The details of these special moments will increase as they happen and as the characters develop. Not overly graphic, at least, not in my opinion but sometimes I hold nothing back. Just a heads up!
> 
> Next! Chapter 6: Integra's Eight-eyed Pet Dog. Hellhound Alucard insists on being present while Integra interviews a possible personal assistant candidate. Stay tuned!
> 
> A million thank yous for reading! Truly much love from the bottom of my heart! *squishes abound*


	6. Integra's Eight-Eyed Dog

**Hellsing Manor - August 5, 9:04 a.m.**

Integra Hellsing woke up in the morning with a long stretch, a toe-tingling yawn and a really big grin on her face. The air did not smell as stale and her body did not feel as old. She could not remember the last time she felt so rested or at peace. For a succinct moment, she relished in the implicit feeling of being a woman. How it felt to be desired, to feel beautiful, to be ravished, thoroughly. Of course, she did not lose her virtue but the tantalizing things Alucard did to her last night were sufficient. Oh dear… _yes_.

It was lovely.

She wanted to run into the opened arms of the bright new day that awaited her but she could not. There was more to it than that because, once again, this _thing_ between her and Alucard was moving in an unknown direction, just like it had thirty years ago.

She was getting too old for these games.

With a heavy sigh, Integra sat up in her bed holding the cool, crisp sheets to her bare chest. Her hair was rumpled and crimped, she slept without clothes on for the first time in probably twenty years, and her stomach growled for nourishment. _Absolutely pitiful_ , she thought with a wry smirk, _acting like a schoolgirl with a naughty little secret._ She gazed over at the empty bed-space next to her.

Did she think he'd really be there?

"Don't be ridiculous." She chastised herself. Alucard rarely stayed with her the entire night and she didn't blame him, of course. The moon was his sun, the stars his eternal wish. She couldn't stop him from roaming the night.

She might have woken up alone but Alucard had not left her entirely for he left something for her on the pillow. A red rose and a note. Integra shook her head softly remembering that Seras blabbed the other day about her favourite flower being the red rose. Reaching over, she picked up the rose and could not resist bringing it to her nose. It was beautiful and full of fragrance and probably acquired from the garden, but that wasn't the point. She set it back down and picked up the small folded piece of paper scrawled with Alucard's elegant cursive penmanship:

_My dearest Master,_

_I have not forgotten what makes you smile._

_Last night is only one night of many nights I need to make up to you._

— _A_

Integra was _certainly_ smiling now. It definitely was not something many people ever did for her, most of them too afraid to even approach her never mind give her flowers, and somehow it seemed even preposterous that it took a vampire to do it. Perhaps she was being too harsh. Maybe Alucard was simply being a gentleman, which he can be occasionally when he isn't brooding and lusting for a fight and she was judging him wrongly. It seems like he is trying to make up for his long absence, trying to mend the wounds he created when he disappeared and deep down, she did not feel like he was only toying with her out of boredom.

Alone in her bedroom Integra groaned. She was over thinking things.

There came a soft knock at her bedroom door, which opened a second later and there stood her personal attendant Judy Hadaway, who, by the way, was terribly late this morning. She was a short brown-haired woman in her fifties with a thin build, kind round face, a pleasant smile and friendly eyes wearing a long black skirt and a simple white blouse. Over her right arm, she carried a freshly pressed suit.

Today it was olive green.

Before Judy even took a step into the room, a familiar blonde head popped up over the attendant's left shoulder. "Good morning, Master Integra. I hope you slept well," Seras chimed.

Internally, Integra sighed at the chirpy sound of Seras's voice first thing in the morning while quickly sweeping the rose underneath the blankets. Then slight shock filled her face, shock she was trying to hide from Seras when she remembered she was still completely naked under the covers while everyone just ambled into her bedroom as if it was a busy petrol station.

"Good morning, Seras." Integra gave no hint of her discomfort in her voice. "What is so urgent that it has brought you here?"

Seras could sense the other woman's consternation but didn't understand at first until she noticed Integra was hiding her nudity with her blankets. "Oh my, err… well, I came to remind you that the agency sent a possible candidate for you to assess today, for the assistant position you asked about, remember? Usually you're awake and at your desk already but today you weren't so I came to check on you."

"Well, as you can see, I'm fine," Integra explained casting Seras, a cool glance. "I… I just happened to sleep in a little later than usual this morning. It's been a while—don't worry, I won't be making a habit out of it."

"Oh, of course not," Seras countered easily. "It's nice to lie in once in a while, you should do it more often… you deserve it. Are you sure you're not coming down with something, Master?"

Integra's shoulders lowered in defeat just a fraction. "No," she answered despairingly, "I am not coming down with anything except lunacy perhaps."

 _Lunacy?_ Seras blinked questionably at that but remained silent.

Integra watched as Judy came in and lay the clothing down at the foot of the bed. "Why have you come by so late in the morning, Judy? I didn't hear you at all this morning." Integra wondered of the woman. It wasn't like Judy to appear later than seven am with her work clothes and a wakeup call.

"Pardon me, Sir," the woman began politely, "But the tall gentlemen of the house insisted I not disturb you this morning until 9 o'clock."

Integra narrowed her good eye. _Alucard_.

"I see." Integra replied then snapped. "Then I would advise you not to follow that idiot's demands as he has _no_ given right to change my schedule _nor_ is he in charge of this house." That menace. She looked apologetically at the other woman. "I do hope he has not troubled you."

"Oh no, Sir," Judy assured straight away unfazed by Integra's harsh tone. "Even against my better judgement he was still quite insistent that you have your rest this morning, said something like it was his fault you were up late."

Seras made an amused peep over that.

Integra couldn't bear to look at the vampire and fisted her sheets harder in her grip.

"Besides," Judy continued flippantly. "I know he's one of those vampire creatures and they go about doing creepy things all the time so it's no trouble really. I've gotten sorta used to it with this one over here." The woman nodded in Seras's direction.

Seras looked around like a guilty thief. " _Me…?_ " she squeaked.

"Well, thank you for clearing that up, Judy." Integra told the attendant.

Judy nodded before she quietly left the room.

"As for the candidate," Integra began as soon as they were alone, "She'll be here at eleven I was told. Allow me to get dressed and I'll be down in my office soon."

"Sure thing, Master Integra," Seras replied and dashed out of the room, closing the door with a loud thump and a muffled giggle.

* * *

**Hellsing Manor, 10:45 a.m.**

In her spacious minimalist office, Integra was busy at her desk watching a current news report on her laptop about a young woman discovered without vital signs in her bed this morning. The police, apparently, are withholding details about her death, but say it is suspicious and there is some evidence that suggests there was a possible break-in that will require further investigation. They claim that the girl is scheduled for an autopsy later today.

Disgusted, Integra turned off the report.

Just as she reached for a cigar, a big black dog morphed out of the cold fireplace above which hung a portrait of her father, leaving a few sooty paw prints on the floor. This was no ordinary dog. Yet, it certainly looked like one with its mangy black fur, long furry ears and a bushy tail that was currently wagging happily, as it approached her. Indeed, it appeared normal until it looked at her with four pairs of demonic red eyes.

Integra could not help but give a small chuff of amusement. "What on earth is this about, Alucard?" she questioned. "Why are you skulking about like that for?"

Alucard could speak if he wanted to in his hellhound form but he chose not to at the moment. Instead, he seemed keen on acting the dog part and whined miserably as if he wanted human attention. He padded around her desk, claws ticking off the hardwood floor and lay down next to Integra's office chair. He stretched his big paws out in front of himself and placed his long muzzle over top of them, eyes glancing up at her in that pathetic way that dogs do.

Integra did enjoy dogs especially hunting dogs and when Alucard used this form, it made her think of the times her father took her with him to hunt for pheasant. The dogs would scamper off and flush out the birds hiding in the tall grass while her father shot them out of the sky with his rifle. The crack of gunfire was so loud she would clap her hands over her ears.

She swiveled her chair to look down at the ominous black dog that would give most people nightmares for weeks. Those haunting red eyes and jaw full of menacing razor-sharp teeth. Not to mention its possessor had a snarly disposition to go along with it if angered.

Integra scoffed when she noticed that even in his dog form, Alucard still had a grey patch of hair under his perky canine ear.

"Shouldn't you be off sleeping or are you just as curious as Seras is about the new assistant coming by today, seeing as you are both awake this morning. Trust me, this person knows what she's getting into I've been told she has not actually worked in paranormal fields but is no stranger to such topics. Perhaps she will enlighten us." Integra reached down to scratch behind his ears.

The vampire-dog licked her hand sweetly with his soft pink tongue before rolling onto its back hoping for extra scratches.

"If you think I'm going to give you a belly rub _think again_ , Alucard _._ " The Hellsing woman sat back up in her chair stubbornly.

If dogs could look disappointed this one managed to achieve it as it huffed and rolled back over onto its stomach. The hellhound buried its face beneath his paws dejectedly.

"I refuse to feel sorry for you." Integra said without remorse and continued with her work, barely glancing at him. "I'm very busy this morning. There are evils in the world I need to investigate. I have messages coming out of everywhere that I must respond to and Sir Irons is bothering me about some stupid opera." She closed her eyes for a moment and pinched the bridge of her nose beneath her glasses. "I loathe opera and all that shrill singing. It is outdated and ridiculous. Go find some place to lie down if you insist on remaining in that form."

However, Alucard was nothing if not determined. He barked at her and placed his scruffy head on Integra's thigh, tongue lolling out his mouth. The woman sighed and glanced down at him. "You're trying my patience, vampire. What's the matter with you this morning?"

"I just wanted to see my fair lady, that's all." The dog finally spoke with Alucard's deep tenor. "And I wanted to take measure of the new assistant for myself. Only the most virtuous can be allowed to serve my Master."

The dog bared its teeth, which gave Integra the impression of a dog smiling. She chuckled. "Oh, alright but promise me you'll return to normal soon."

"Normal is a matter of perspective." Alucard mentioned in theory. "That's a funny thing to say around here."

"You make a valid point." Integra agreed dryly and pet over his head softly. Those eerie red eyes seemed to burrow into her soul as she stroked his thick fur. "Are you reading my thoughts?"

"No," he answered. "I wasn't focusing on your thoughts… besides, you ordered me not to. I'll respect that."

Integra just needed to make sure.

"Since I am not reading your mind, I have something to ask of you. Tell me, Integra… did you enjoy last night?" Alucard inquired with a hint of mischief, nuzzling his nose into her hair. "Wasn't it beautiful?"

The axe of shame came down and struck her with full force. "Yes, it was." She agreed. "But… I feel as though I should apologise for some of the things I said to you last night. It was wrong of me to say that you are _'only a monster'_. You are not only that to me."

"As confusing as you are sometimes, I do understand why you uttered such a statement. You still do not trust me completely—you have never fully given me your trust." Alucard stated almost too calmly. "It's bred into you not to trust filthy bloodsuckers like me… _especially_ me. Isn't that what father dear told you?"

He was right. As much as she adored him, a part of her always wondered about his faithfulness regarding their personal relationship, his true motives. The actions he partook in the past gave her doubts. "It's hard for me, Alucard. I'm sorry if that hurts you."

"Your father was correct to warn you not to trust the word of a monster, and I'm no exception. You will simply have to trust your own instincts and follow your own passions. My Master, I never imagined that I would be torn from your life for thirty years and now I have lost all that time to grant you what you should have already received." His words were like a blasphemous riddle."Forgiveness is a long road travelled, is it not?"

"Yes, it's difficult for me to forget those lost years or the notion that you could disappear again. But I am not angry with you nor do I blame you for what happened." Integra replied and her demeanor softened. "Come now, I don't want to wallow in the gloom of the past, we've done enough of that, you and me, and for our own reasons."

"No kidding," Alucard retort gruffly, closing his eyes as Integra scratched behind his ear. "Before the Battle of London I was drowning in a sea my own foolish misery. It can happen to anyone who has lived as long as I have. The anger consumed me to the core, but that final fight with Anderson…" He paused for a lengthy moment. "It opened these old eyes, altered my perspective." He sniffed with fond wistfulness. "…that Judas priest bastard. You humans really _are_ starting to rub off on me."

Integra would never forget the tears he shed that day. "You've finally accepted your immortality."

"Life or death is what we make it, is it not?" Alucard muttered, sounding rather powerless. "What I truly desire has become so utterly clear to me and it's not just my own death. Thirty years ago and beyond that, why… I really was just a dog chasing his own tail."

Integra indulged in the image of Alucard chasing his own tail in his human form much to her amusement. She smirked to herself and lifted his fuzzy muzzle to look up at her. "I haven't even thanked you for the rose you left on my pillow, so… _thank you_." She smiled down at him unable to believe she was having this kind of conversation with a mutt. He jumped up on his hind legs to place excited licks to her cheek with his warm doggy tongue.

Integra scrunched up her face and chuckled all while trying to shove him off.

Seras Victoria walked into the room just in time to see the spectacle and threw her hands up to her face, stifling a surprised gasp. "That's the cutest thing!" she squealed.

The moment interrupted, Alucard composed himself and stopped mauling his master's face. He put all four paws back on the floor and sat down on his haunches like an obedient dog. "Is the woman here yet?" he asked, his serious tone back in place.

The young vampire giggled and nodded. "Yes, she is out here in the hall waiting to come in—that's why I'm here." Seras glanced at Alucard warily. "Master, are you going to be in _that_ form the whole time? That's so weird."

"Weird?" Alucard's four pairs of eyes blinked at her in deliberation.

Ignoring the two vampires, Integra quickly urged. "Don't just stand there dawdling, Seras. Bring her in."

Seras actually snapped to attention with a salute and ran out to the hall to retrieve the woman. A moment later, an attractive thirty-something year old woman with a slim build and auburn hair twisted up neatly with a black tiger clip, walked into the room. She stood at medium-height and was dressed very professionally in a sharp Etro business suit consisting of a knee-length black pencil skirt, an indigo blouse with buttons done right up to her collar and a black blazer. In her right hand, she carried a black leather briefcase.

Her no nonsense attire matched the no nonsense expression on her sharp-featured face.

She made her way to the front of Integra's desk and stood ramrod straight. "Thank you for seeing me today, Sir Integra Hellsing. My name is Lilith Medrea. My liaison told me you were in need of assistant and I'm looking to settle in England for a while. I hope we can agree that I'm the perfect candidate for the job after this exchange."

Before Integra would play nice, she leisurely lit a cigar and silently surveyed the other woman carefully, studying her straight nose and high cheekbones. She blew the smoke out slowly and sat back in her chair with a cool air of indifference, an impassive look on her face, seeing if the woman would crack under her obstinate surveillance. A strategic technique, Integra knew that silence could be utterly debilitating for some people. In fact, it could be a person's strongest weapon.

Seras smiled fiendishly as she watched Integra do what she does best, intimidate. Certainly if Lilith Medrea was the right person for the job, she would have to prove it. The female vampire took her place beside her master's desk, standing on the left side. Imposingly, she crossed her arms over her chest.

Alucard took the opportunity as a four-legged creature to pad around the desk and inspect Ms. Medrea himself. The woman watched him carefully but she didn't look frightened, which was kind of surprising to him. He circled her casually before coming to stop right in front of her. Then he promptly stuck his nose her in her crotch, in the way that dogs do and completely ruined Integra's weapon of silence.

"Oh! That's not very nice. _Bad dog_ ," hissed Ms. Medrea. There was a slight look of chagrin in the woman's green eyes as she wagged a long finger at the mangy beast, whom at that moment, opened all eight of his eyes. Her slim eyebrows rose and she took a few tentative steps back from it, "W-where's your manners?"

Integra rolled her eye and Seras managed to hold back a burst of wicked amusement.

"That's enough, Alucard." Integra intervened harshly. "Why don't you cease with this freak show and introduce yourself properly to Ms. Medrea? If you cannot do that, then you can _leave_."

The hellhound purred in return, "It would be my pleasure, master."

"It can speak." Lilith muttered in amazement.

The dog dissolved into a puddle of black shadow and blood that moved and writhed on the floor, which had Lilith taking a few more steps back. The squirming mass contained a multitude of red eyes, all moving and swimming around. Then a human shape began to rise out of the black shadow, growing taller and taller. When the mass became a complete silhouette of a person wearing a hat it materialized into a man in a long red frock coat, black suit, riding boots, sunglasses and a wide-brimmed red fedora.

Alucard lowered his orange glasses a fraction so he could look over them at Ms. Medrea with his haunting scarlet eyes. "You have an interesting scent," he told her.

Lilith merely gaped at him for a moment. She seemed to be at some extent, alarmed. "You're not a dog at all. What are you exactly? What kind of creature turns into a dog?"

"It's called shape-shifting," Integra explained as if she was instructing a class of first graders. "This is Alucard. He is a powerful vampire with the ability to transform into many creatures than just a mere dog. The other one over here is Seras Victoria. She is also a strong vampire and they both work for me. They are a vital part of the Hellsing Organization, although our organization is much larger than that. We have an entire group of military trained personnel as well and this property acts as our headquarters. We are one of the last family-run monster-hunting organizations left in the world. As you have been told before you came here, we are a force handed the task of ensuring the safety of His Majesty and protecting the country from supernatural threats. Does this bother you? If that is the case I will have Alucard compel you to forget you were ever here and send you on your merry way."

Lilith held her head up high. "No, it doesn't bother me. I— I've just never witnessed someone shape-shifting before and this man—this vampire… he was…" Her gaze filled with obvious discomfort darted towards the vampire in his weird hat before they returned to Integra.

"He was being rude sniffing me _there_."

Alucard wore an unnerving kind of smile. "I wanted to make sure you were human," he claimed with faux innocence.

Ms. Medrea completely ignored the depraved vampire and spoke directly to Integra much to Alucard's amusement. She said, "I became interested with this job when I heard that your organization was involved with the destruction of evil supernatural beings. When I discovered that, I knew I _had_ to be a part of it."

Integra rolled the ash off the tip of her cigar in the ashtray. "This job is not for the light of heart. Are you familiar with such creatures?"

The redheaded woman took a deep breath before replying. "I have only told a few people this but right now it seems appropriate that I share this with you." She set her briefcase down next to her feet and stood up straight again, looking somewhere just above Integra's head. "I—I only saw a vampire once when I was a child." Her eyes grew dark and her expression painful and her gaze never faltered. "I watched it kill my parents."

At that, Integra's blue eye widened.

"Oh no," Seras sounded quietly, "How awful."

Alucard remained unmoved. "And you managed to escape?"

This time Lilith looked over at him, she could not see his eyes behind the glint of his orange glasses. "I don't remember if I did or how. The next thing I remembered, I was waking up in the apothecary's office—" She quickly corrected herself, "I mean the doctor's office. I overheard the good doctor telling someone that they had to cut the baby out of my mother's womb or else it would have died."

"Your mother was pregnant when she was killed?" Integra inquired just to be clear she heard that part correctly.

Ms. Medrea nodded. "Yes. After that whole ordeal I was orphaned."

"Your last name sounds of Eastern European descent, am I wrong?" Alucard mentioned curiously.

"That's right, I'm originally from Moldavia but after I was orphaned I grew up in various shelters, raised by nuns mostly in other countries. I speak Italian, French, Romanian, German and a few other languages with average skill. I have travelled to many countries but I have spent most of my adult life in The States working in administration for government offices. It's menial work, but it pays the bills."

"All of that information checks out, except for the information about your childhood. I'm glad you decided to share that with me. It's not something I'd wish upon anyone but it is a common story for many people." Integra told her as she crushed out her cigar. "I apologise but we had to have your background checked before you even entered the premises."

Seras was watching the interactions silently between everyone but noticed and felt her sire's concern so she spoke to him telepathically. _"What do you think of Ms. Medrea, Master?"_

Alucard replied without even glancing over. _"It's like she has a barrier around her of sorts, I couldn't smell or sense anything."_

 _"Oh?"_ Seras replied, _"Can a human do that?"_

 _"Clearly this one can."_ The nosferatu answered. He didn't sound too worried about it though.

_"I still have trouble sensing barriers anyways. Is it a holy barrier?"_

_"Like I said it's like she has a barrier. I didn't say it was one. Anyways, it takes years of practice and experience to know what to look for."_

_"I'm screwed then. It'll take forever to be as old as you, Master."_ Seras quipped, teasing him. _"What's that like anyways?"_

Alucard told her the truth. _"It sucks."_

"That's to be expected," Lilith agreed to Integra's comment, oblivious to the vampire's telepathic discussion. "All government run jobs require an in-depth background check on personnel. I'd like a chance to do something a bit different in a new country and I have always been fond of England. I would be more than willing to endure a trial run. If you aren't satisfied by my work then you can have your vampires here erase my memories and send me back to America."

At this Integra scoffed but she wore a soft smile. "I might very well take you up on that offer. There is no guarantee that you'll pass such a trial but if you are willing to give it a go than I could be willing to give you the opportunity to test it."

"I would be very happy to let you test me, Sir Integra Hellsing. It would be an honour to work with you." Ms. Medrea smiled for the first time during the entire meeting. "My references, I'm sure, have endorsed me as an efficient worker, knowledgeable and a fast learner. I'm also very open-minded."

"That's to be considered," Alucard claimed apathetically.

The director of The Hellsing Organization directed a studious look in Alucard's direction. He just stood there unmoving at the right side of her desk.

Lilith appeared taken aback for a moment. "Have I said something wrong?"

"Answer me this, Secretary Woman. Do you believe in God—Heaven or Hell?" Alucard did not wear a smile of any kind as he watched her. "Well… do you?"

At first, it seemed as if Lilith wasn't going to answer but then she smirked as if she figured something out. "I see. You think because a vampire destroyed my family that I might have lost my faith in God. Is that right?"

"Something like that," replied the No Life King.

Lilith dug a silver chain out from under her collar revealing a silver cross, which dangled from her clasped fingers. "It's bewildering that a vampire cares to ask a human about their faith in God in the first place, but if you must know I believe that only humans with God's hand can destroy the monsters of the world. Wouldn't you agree? Believers will rejoice in Heaven when their work is done. How can a non-believer work for the Hellsing Organization in the name of anything else?"

The corners of Alucard's mouth curled into a clever smirk. "Even if the Organization was run by a vampire…?"

Integra was on her feet in a flash, slamming her hands on the top of her desk. "That was uncalled for, Alucard! You've stepped _WAY_ out of line!" she snapped at him. "Ms. Medrea you will not answer that." The blonde woman was glaring furiously at the vampire.

Alucard sighed. "I do not understand why that upsets you, my Master. It was a valid enquiry."

"You and I will discuss this another time," Integra growled at him.

Lilith watched Integra and Alucard carefully, remaining quiet but appearing quite startled by the outburst.

Seras frowned and wondered why her sire made such a comment. She knew he could be downright nasty at times but it was a very impertinent suggestion, to offer the idea that a vampire could direct an Organization that hunts monsters. That is unless… Seras gasped with a sudden thought. Was Integra considering becoming a vampire? Rejoice! That would be so cool, she decided. Oh, maybe there was a lot more going on between her two hot-hotheaded masters than she realized. Maybe…

 _"Seras…?"_ Integra called for the third time.

The female draculina blinked and regained her focus on the room. Everyone was staring at her… she gave a silly smile and waved feebly at them with her fingers. "Do I have something on my face?" Her nose wriggled back and forth, as she tried to inspect her face.

"No, Seras… but you made a strange sound like you were spooked. Is something wrong?" Integra asked her curtly while reclaiming her seat with an aggravated sigh.

"Oh… it's nothing, Sir. I—I just remembered that I forgot to pick my towel up off the floor in the bathroom this morning. That's all." Seras fibbed and giggled uneasily.

Alucard grunted in Sera's mind, " _You liar."_

Seras merely winked at over at him.

Integra inhaled deeply to sooth her nerves before she turned her attention back to Lilith. "Ms. Medrea, I do apologise for this rather unorthodox meeting but I'm willing to let you prove yourself to me. The job is not exciting really, just paperwork and filing, organizing meetings and whatnot. I do require your discretion and you will be required to stay at the manor for the duration of your service. Of course, you may come and go when time permits but you will have your own room here at the manor. Would that be adequate?"

Lilith let out a breath of relief. "Oh yes, of course. I'm eager to be a part of the Organization and I will do my best to learn how to work in-sync with you, Sir. It'd be a pleasure to stay in the manor. Thank you for the opportunity."

"I know that you came prepared, just in case. Is there anything else you need to do before you can start?" Integra wondered.

"Not at all," Lilith replied. "Everything is sorted out back home, I'll just need to make a few calls but that's about it. All I have to do is pick up my things from the hotel I was staying at." The redhead claimed.

"Forget about that, I will have someone collect your belongings and bring them here. It's the least I can do." Integra stood up and held out her hand to the other woman. "Welcome to the Hellsing Organization, Ms. Medrea. If you would like we can discuss your duties a bit more and I'll show you around. There are a few rules I must go over with you."

Ms. Medrea took the tall woman's hand and shook it once with gusto. "Thank you. Yes, I'd be happy to see this place and be filled in on my job requirements."

Without another word, Alucard vanished from the room.

Integra glanced to where the vampire had stood and shrugged it off. She got up and came around the desk. "Great, then let's not waste time," she said to Lilith. "There's quite a bit to cover and there is lots of work to do. Come along, Seras."

"Yes, Sir Integra." Seras followed them out of the room.

* * *

**Hampshire County, 11:56pm.**

Trapped in a cage, a weakened vampire cowered right in the center of the large contraption. He sat on his bottom with his hands and feet in front of him bound with rope soaked in holy water. The pain was unbearable at first but now he was numb and felt nothing even though his wrists and ankles oozed with blood and pus. He knew that if he thrashed around and his skin touched the bars of the cage, it would sizzle and burn from the blessed silver that made up his confine.

He shivered with fear.

He whimpered in terror.

"Shad up in there!" a man yelled at the vampire.

The dark-haired vampire gazed through his shaggy bangs at the culprit shroud in a white hooded cloak and robes, their face hidden behind a pewter-finished Hannya mask that resembled the snarling demon of the same name with horns and piercing eyes.

There was a rumour that these humans were going to sacrifice him and burn him alive in some cult like ritual of some sort. And the rumour seemed true since the cage was situated on top of a wooden block with fresh kindling and wood bunched around it reeking of gasoline.

However, the gathering humans were waiting for others still arriving to this wooded area lit up only by flashlights, secluded from prying eyes. Therefore, the torturous waiting game ensued for the imprisoned vampire before the humans could enjoy their barbeque.

The man in the mask was a real asshole. He was always tormenting the vampire born a little more than a week ago. He'd splash cups filled with holy water on him when he passed by the cage when it was still situated in that dark basement—always saying cruel things and laughing at the creature's pain.

The newly turned vampire did not ask to become this.

"I can't wait to roast you alive you filthy demon, killing you will be a treat," spat the masked man while a friend of his, dressed in the same attire, stood next to him chuckling with delight.

"He's crying tho _sss_ e bloody tears again." The friend announced whistling his 'S's' behind his teeth. "An' he's not even had the taste of blood yet."

"Must be starving, he is. You shouldn't go wasting all that blood you got left or you might just shrivel up and die before we kill ya." He laughed loudly.

The whistling man in white guffawed. "What the hell are you rattling on about, man? Who cares soon he's going to be screaming the song for Death. Hells gates are going to open for him tonight." The creepy masked man turned fully to face the vampire. "You fucking bloodsucker. You're going to burn down there for all eternity just as it should be."

"Thanks to your kind our congregation is booming and our army is growing more powerful every day due to freaks like you." The first masked man jeered at the sobbing vampire, rattling at his cage with a stick he picked up from the pile of wood around it. Laughing, the man began to poke the vampire in the arm with the stick, ripping through his black t-shirt and scratching his pale skin, making the creature growl.

The vampire stop crying and a fury unlike any other began to rise to the surface. His sky blue eyes suddenly flashed red. In one swift motion, the creature brought the rope binding his wrists to his mouth despite the holy water and tore it off with his elongated teeth that were now sharper than they were a moment ago. With speed unseen by human eyes, the vampire hauled on the stick, which brought the masked man's arm into the cage, and chomped down on his wrist.

Warm blood began to flow into the vampire's hungry mouth. It didn't matter how hard the man tried to pull his arm out or how loudly he screamed and flailed, the vampire would not let go. He fed and drank.

Power filled him. An _unbelievable_ amount of power filled him! The sensation was overwhelming.

Shouting amongst the gathering people in white cloaks and masks commenced wildly. They all ran over with their flashlights bobbing in their haste to find their imprisoned vampire chewing on one of their own. The man with the whistling 'S's' tried frantically to save his friend, he had his arms wrapped around the other man's middle hauling with all his might.

For a moment, he thought he had managed to rescue his friend when they both fell away from the cage, one on top of the other. Only he discovered that the vampire had torn his friend's hand right off with his teeth. The beast flung the appendage deftly to the bottom of the cage like an old bone.

Now the taunting man, his white robes all spattered with blood, wailed and flung his handless arm around, writhing on the ground in tremendous blinding pain.

"We have to light that fire now!" Someone else exclaimed. "Forget about the others we have to do it _now_."

A few people decided to run for it while others stuck around, determined to see this task to the very end. No vampire had ever escaped the cage and watching them burn was just too good to miss.

No time was wasted. The leader of the gathering struck a match with shaky fingers and threw it quickly to the pile of wood soak with gas. The flame spread like blue fallout over the fuel like a living thing. In seconds the pile of wood was burning, the flames growing hotter.

The vampire was a snarling angry monster now, his mouth bloody and teeth glinting orange and red from the fire light. The creature's eyes burned bright red as he got to his feet, having ripped the bindings off his ankles. The skin on his ankles and wrists were already healing after ingesting the life from the blood right from the vein.

"Oh god!" Another cried. "He can't get out of that cage… _can he?_ We've never had one drink blood before a sacrifice."

The question was quickly answered much to the dismay of the onlookers. The enraged vampire pulled the bars apart even as it burned into his palms, smoke misting and hissing around his hands. His bloodlust was taking over any sense of pain and he would rather lose his hands than be in this cage for another minute.

Just as the fire began to lick at the vampire's bare feet and the bottoms of his jeans, causing him to roar furiously, he launched himself out of the cage and onto the nearest masked human, sinking his teeth into their neck like a savage animal.

Hidden in the bushes a lowly farmer witnessed the entire thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here is my update and the beginnings of some not so pleasant events starting in this fic. I hope you enjoyed dog-Alucard! He's one of my fav forms and I referenced his four pairs of eyes from the TV Hellsing version. I hope you enjoyed reading!
> 
> Next! Chapter 7: Taking Out the Trash. Alucard, Seras and the Hellsing Organization get to kick some butt.


	7. Taking Out the Trash

**Hellsing Manor - August 6, 12:34 a.m.**

Seras was the first one inside Integra's bedroom, rousing her from sleep. "Master Integra," she said while nudging her shoulder softly. "I'm sorry to wake you at this hour but we have a problem."

Integra stirred and blinked a few times before turning over to look at the female vampire, whose red eyes were glowing in the darkened room. "What's the problem, Seras?" she demanded, sitting up.

"We've just intercepted communication between law enforcement in the county of Hampshire near the city of Winchester. They are all over the radio frequencies about a call they received from a nearby farmer who claims he saw a vampire killing a bunch of people dressed in white cloaks up on the hill in a secluded wooded area."

Integra was out of bed in a hurry. She began to remove her nightclothes as she moved across the room and started pulling on yesterday's olive green suit that hung over a chair without hesitation. "Please tell me you have a chopper standing by?"

"All ready and waiting for you, Sir," Seras replied with confidence, seeing as she has gone through this drill many times. "I have Commander Lister leading a team to the location right now so they can divert traffic coming off of the M3 close to the Hockley Viaduct. Support units are also on their way as well and will be diverting civilians from using Bull Drove Road and providing backup if we need it."

"Excellent work, Seras." Integra praised as she slipped her arms into the suit jacket that Seras held open for her. "Do we know if the authorities have the farmer in their custody?"

"Apparently not… the call came from Mr. Lane's mobile somewhere on his property but he is currently M.I.A. I have not heard anything else. What bothers me is that those officers have most likely gone to investigate the scene. It is always the same thing—I wish we could coordinate better with law enforcement so they are not so senselessly butchered all the time." Seras told her with reasonable apprehension. "We should hurry there, Sir. I have a terrible feeling about this."

The Hellsing woman knew all too well, why this scenario disturbed Seras so much. It was unfortunate that sometimes the first victims of supernatural attacks were members of law enforcement that had no clue they were walking into something beyond their darkest and most horrific dreams.

"Where's Alucard?" Integra questioned as they hurried down the manor hall towards the stairs leading to the launching pad on roof.

Seras hesitated for a moment while she contemplated whether she should tell Sir Integra that Alucard was not home. That was two nights in a row now. Whatever he was doing, he did not share it with her. "I texted him and he should be here shortly." She decided to word it in a way so she would not have to explain further. It bothered her to hide things from Integra to whom she'd grown very fond of over the years, but she didn't want to be disloyal to Alucard either. "I want him to get used to using his new device. He knows exactly where we're going and with his power of omnipresence he won't have a hard time meeting us there."

The tall blonde grumbled something under her breath about blockheaded vampires. "Well, if he's not here in the next two minutes we're leaving without him," Integra retort coolly.

They pushed open the metal door that brought them to the rooftop. The helicopter tarmac was lit up with floodlights and in the center stood a green military-issued helicopter, rotors spinning. The two women ducked when blasts from the awaiting helicopter battered them with gusts of air.

"Hurry, Integra," Seras urged, gesturing with her gloved hand as she climbed into the chopper.

"I'm not as fast as you are, Seras. Just give me one darn moment." Integra placed her foot on the rung of the helicopter to pull herself up when Ms. Medrea came bursting from the doorway. She ran over to them still in her yellow sleep shirt and black shorts with bananas on them. Her red hair was flying about all over the place.

"Sir!" She shouted over the turbulence caused by the helicopter. "Sir Integra, I just heard what was happening—don't worry about a thing over here. I'll monitor the situation from the control room and report anything to you if necessary. I'll deal with phone calls and the police." Her head went from side to side. "Where's Alucard?"

"Hell if I know," Integra hollered as she settled into the chopper. She looked down at Lilith as she quickly slipped a pair of headphones over her head. "It doesn't matter, we've conducted plenty of missions without him in the last thirty years and I'm not wasting another second waiting for that idiot. He knows the drill. Captain Willoughby, take us up." She commanded the pilot hotly.

"Yes, sir," Captain Willoughby replied.

"Godspeed!" Ms. Medrea said to them from below, watching the chopper rise up into the night sky. 

* * *

 

**Hampshire County, 1:15 a.m.**

A lone police officer in a blue uniform stood on a dark, deserted highway surrounded by ghostly trees next to his patrol car that blocked the road. Nearby was a long gravel driveway that led to William Lane's house, the farmer who had called emergency this evening about a vampire attack.

Seriously… _vampires?_

Sounds like Mr. Lane, has been working under the hot sun too long or maybe he's been reading too many comic books in the barn, the officer thought. Either way, it was his duty was to keep an eye out for the family living in the farmhouse and to report any sign of the farmer should he return to his residence.

So far, there was nothing.

To add to the queerness of the evening, he overheard strange chatter on the police radio about some organization headed their way. There was mention about them having jurisdiction and words like 'specialists' being used. Was it the military? Something certainly did not feel right about this entire night and now a nameless faction was showing up with bells and whistles.

All this X-File sort of stuff gave the police officer the willies. He'd rather chase down an armed robber than stand here on a creepy country road in the middle of nowhere thinking about vampires. Whatever was going on the young officer had yet to hear anything about the unit that went to investigate the incident up on Badger's Hill, which was a mile or so away from here. He would just have to wait on this dark road with nothing but the sounds of crickets and rustling leaves to keep him company.

It was eerily quiet, except for the all-terrain vehicle with the name _Hellsing_ emblazoned on the side that drove past him in a bloody hurry a few minutes ago. It disappeared down the road as quickly as it came. He wondered if it was part of that special ops group, as it definitely looked military.

He ran a hand over his short blonde hair and sighed, catching a light zipping across the night sky that was speckled with stars. It could have been a meteor or maybe a falling star, he wasn't sure.

There was another one.

 _Well, will you look at that!_ The officer thought, captivated. He kept staring up at the night sky until his neck began to cramp. No more meteors appeared. With a shrug, he returned his focus back down the road and bristled.

There, standing in the beams of his car headlights a few yards away, was a tall man in a long red coat. He, too, was looking up at the stars with wonder. The officer could not stop a shiver that slid down his spine like icy fingers. There was something haunting, about the man that showed up out of nowhere, his face concealed by shadows and a pair of round sunglasses.

"A perfect night to wander in the woods, don't you think?" The man said with his gaze still heaven bound.

In a flash, the police officer grabbed his gun from its holster and aimed it at the strange guy in old-fashioned attire. "Stay right where you are, sir! You have entered the area of a current investigation and should not be here. State your name and purpose here this evening."

The cool night breeze ruffled the man's crimson coat as he looked at the officer and walked casually towards him wearing a bemused smile on his face. "You know, if you aim your gun at me, you best be prepared to use it."

Not taking any chances, the police officer flicked the safety off on his gun just as the sound of a helicopter swooped in on them from over the trees. At the same time, incoming headlights of a few large vehicles raced towards them further down the road.

Alucard released a sinister twitter. " _Oh…_ I see. You really _were_ prepared to use that weapon on me. It's quite difficult to find brave men of the law." He said with genuine amusement and placed a hand to the top of his hat, holding it down as the wind picked up wildly from the descending helicopter. "Too bad, the party-poopers are here to crash the party."

"What the hell are you talking about?" demanded the officer who was squinting against the wind and dust. "Who _are_ you people?"

"Who are we? We're the exterminators that have come to rid you of your pest problem." The gusting wind had the vampire's jacket flapping around his legs. "And here arrives my beautiful master and my darling Seras. My, I have truly missed moments like this. Look." He pointed up at the helicopter with a white-gloved finger. "However, I suspect they might be a bit cross with me this evening."

Bewildered, the police officer lowered his gun as the helicopter touched ground a few yards away from where the mysterious man stood. It was maddening how all these armoured vehicles converged together with perfect timing all at this one spot where moments ago it was dead silent. All the vehicles were marked with that _Hellsing_ insignia, just like the one he saw earlier. Now, men in body armour and green fatigues began to hop out of the vehicles, all of them carrying heavy assault rifles and shouting out orders.

"Don't let a single ghoul cross this highway." One of them ordered.

 _Ghoul?_ The officer blinked. The quiet little stretch of highway was suddenly buzzing with activity.

Seras Victoria was the first one out of the helicopter with her massive cannon propped up on her shoulder ready for business. She walked over and promptly scowled at the elder vampire. "Master, I wasn't sure if you got my message—you didn't reply back and then you didn't show up on the roof back at the manor when we departed. Master Integra is not happy with you and, you know what, I _really_ don't blame her." She looked over her shoulder to make sure her Integra was out of earshot and then turned back and scowled. "I didn't mention that you were out, but… what's with all the late night strolls, huh?"

"It's nothing you need to concern yourself with," Alucard replied in a cavalier fashion. "It wasn't a good time to play with my new toy, but when I could, I did use the application you showed me and I did find the William Lane residence coordinates." He spread his hands out before him. "As you can see I came through so what's with that look, hmm?"

"You still should have replied… it helps if you and I are on the same page. I know this mission is probably peanuts for you but you're making me look bad." Seras told him stubbornly. "I could have left you out of this one, but I thought you'd enjoy a little action since it's been a while, ya know?"

Alucard's eyebrows lifted under his hat. It was probably a wise reminder that Seras was more or less the one calling the shots when it came to handling the Hellsing troops, directly under Integra. Over time, it was apparent she has taken over Walter's old position, minus the average butler activities and being an all out turncoat. Still, he was not accustomed to watching her play this role or even having her snap at him about his misconduct.

His astonishment turned into satisfaction. So much has changed while he was gone, indeed. All for the better, he thought. Seras has become a remarkable leader and she deserved a little more respect. "Then I look forward to working alongside you, Seras."

That shut her up. Seras nodded with a sniff.

However, Alucard forgot about Hellsing politics for a hasty moment, when he gazed over Seras's left shoulder to smirk impishly at his master who was sauntering towards them while lighting one of her foul cigars. Her dark trench coat sat on her shoulders but she didn't bother to put her arms into the sleeves. It sailed behind her along with her sheet of long pale hair as she approached them. Her stature told him that she was irritated with him tonight.

He watched her with fascination and waited for it…

"I _don't_ want to hear excuses about why you were tardy back at headquarters, Alucard." Integra spoke heatedly over the noisy chopper that was gradually winding down and sniffed. "Although it seems like you managed to beat us here anyways, go figure. Seras will fill you in on everything you need to know on your way to the scene. I would like you to hurry, as I am sure there are a few lost police officers out there as well, but beware, it appears there is an unnamed group of people up there and I do not know of which firm they belong. Could be some of those holy warriors I have been following as of late. Go and investigate, _servant_."

 _Servant?_ Ouch. She said it so callously, more so than usual. Alucard knew better than to push his luck when Integra was irritated with him. He knew it would take some serious vampire ass whooping to put her in better spirits. "Well then," he replied, "Let's not dawdle any longer and hunt this punk down, shall we?" Then he requested as usual. "Does our master have any other orders before we head off?"

"Only one: I would like you to find Mr. William Lane, that is, if he is still alive. Bring him here. He's our only eye witness." She told him and looked over at the police officer who was watching their exchange tentatively. "You there," Integra bellowed as she headed over to the cop, "Tell me everything you know."

The officer's eyes widened with surprise, he looked slightly taken aback by the blonde woman's firm approach.

Alucard tipped his hat at the brave officer who glanced at him before he turned to walk down the gravel driveway leading to the farmhouse, which ultimately led to the fields and the hilly forest at the back of the property.

"Wait up, Master!" Seras cried and ran over to join him.

* * *

 

William Lane was hoping to see the brilliant Perseid meteor shower this evening, which would reach its peak just after midnight. The best spot for viewing was out in the fields far from the house lights where the night sky was at its clearest. The celestial show had just begun when his attention was drawn from the meteors to different flicker of light through the trees. It came from Badger's Hill way at the back just off his property.

He used a pair of binoculars he brought with him for stargazing to get a closer look and discovered some strange looking white-cloaked people carrying flashlights. There was also a black pick-up truck, which was backing up with red lights on with some kind of tall covered box on the flatbed. From this distance, William could not tell what was inside of it.

Concerned that someone was illegally dumping trash, William went to investigate, forgetting all about the meteors. He was sick and tired of jerks dumping crap into his backyard!

Yet, what he discovered when he reached that area was no group of garbage-dumpers in the forest. That tall box turned out to be a cage, which contained a man! The cage sat on a pile of wood that reeked of gasoline—it appeared as if the folks who were loitering around in ritualistic white robes and hideous masks, intended to set it on fire. Hiding in the bushes with his back against a tree, William watched the entire ordeal unfold with a thudding heart. The man in the cage bit one of those white-robed people and all hell broke loose. The wood around the cage was set ablaze and he watched the prisoner turn into some kind of monster, eyes blazing red and prying those metal bars apart as if they were made of butter.

A supernatural geek in his own right, owning a vast collection of horror movies, William was sure it was a vampire—those creatures that go around drinking blood from people's necks, because that is exactly what it did. It savagely tore through a bunch of those people in white robes, feasting from their jugulars.

William did the only thing he could think of… he called the police.

That was a little more than an hour ago.

His phone was dead now, along with the four police officers that came to investigate. For a brief moment he felt elated to see them, hoping they had come to his rescue. But by the sounds of the chilling screams echoing around the woods, he suspected they had been eaten. After some time, it became dead quiet except for the rustling of vegetation and the garbled sounds of undead humans. He knew there was something else roaming around other than a raging vampire, things that looked like zombies.

When the fire was still burning bright he saw some of those people in white get back up off the ground shortly after being bitten by the vampire. Now, that fire was dying and it plunged the forest back into inky darkness, only a few flashlights lay haphazardly near the cage sending their beams uselessly across the dirt and rocks.

Now there was gunfire.

Christ, it was like a war zone! It sounded like it came from two different guns maybe three, loud deafening booms ricocheting off his eardrums from all directions.

He had no idea what was going on.

Deciding he didn't like the supernatural so much anymore… William Lane trembled and prayed that this would all end soon.

Just then, a branch snapped nearby and William clapped a dirty hand over his mouth to keep his whimpering panic within. He was hunkered, frozen, too terrified to move or run and it was pitch-black. He had a flashlight of his own in his blue zip-up hoodie but there was no way in hell he was going to turn it on and give himself away. His eyes darted around in vain he could not see anything until… a pair of eyes behind a pair of round glasses loomed on his right side.

"Don't move human… unless you wish to die." The person to whom the eyes belonged said to him in a brusque voice.

Then from the other side, William heard something moan and he looked over his left shoulder to see what it was but it was too dark to tell. There was nothing but void, black empty voids filled with his wildest imaginations as they shuffled closer and closer to him. From each side he felt trapped.

On his right, the demonic red eyes still lingered, and on the left, something ambiguous approached.

Terrified, William could no longer stay put. Like a crab, he clambered around on his hands and feet until he bumped into something solid. Was it someone's legs—a tree? He didn't have a chance to find out just as a gun exploded with a deafening bang above his head. He clamped his hands over his ears as a few more shots rang out and bullet casings bounced off his head.

William screamed as warm meaty bits spattered all over him in the aftermath. It had to be the flesh of the thing that was just blown to smithereens.

The shooter glanced down at the frightened man coated with ghoul guts. "I told you not to move, foolish little man. Those ghouls were eager to make dinner out of you."

The farmer looked around for those orange-red eyes behind the glasses and found them when he looked straight up. With a yelp, he realized he'd backed up against the shooter's legs and not a tree at all. He turned around, still sitting on the ground and put some space between him and this killer. William scrambled away until his hand went right through something slippery and crunchy, knuckles scraping across a crushed skull. "Ugh!" The sensation immediately began to make him dry heave.

"Oh, now you're just making a mess of yourself," the man with the red eyes chastised.

William caught his breath and wiped ghoul brains off on his jeans.

"Are you h-here to help me? Did you kill that monster in the cage? It's turning everyone into t-these zombies, I saw it. It was a vampire!" William rambled, his voice trembling.

"A vampire… hmm, you don't say. That would explain why the cage over there is made of blessed silver. And it appears as if the little birdie got out before the humans could roast their marshmallows." The other man claimed and released his empty gun cartridge to the ground with a thud. "You must be William Lane, yes?"

William could still not see who spoke to him but he could hear the shooter reloading his gun. "I-I am but w-who are you?" His voice trembled.

"I am Alucard, a servant of the Hellsing Organization. My master wishes to see you alive and I have orders to bring you to her." He claimed. "But first, tell me everything that transpired here."

The farmer nodded and gave a shaky account about what he saw. It couldn't hurt to tell the person who was killing the monsters what he saw. Right?

There was swift movement as someone else approached them and William flinched, covering his ears, expecting another gun blast, thinking it was another one of those creatures. When he heard nothing, he removed his hands from his head.

"Master, I see you found William Lane. Eww, what is he covered in?"

"Pulverized ghoul… I just saved his life at close range."

The girl made an understanding sound. "I can't believe he's still alive with everything that's going on. The four cops are dead and I haven't found any cult survivors. They're all dead, too." She mentioned with a heavy sigh. "I think we cleaned up all those ghouls but I haven't found the vampire that caused all this trouble. He's out here all right, I can sense him but I lost his scent completely."

She sniffed the air audibly for a moment and then continued.

"I overheard you both talking. Why do you think those people were going to burn a vampire here? I mean what in God's name… that's just horrible!" She cried.

"That's a very intriguing question, Seras." Alucard cast a glance at his fledgling. "I'm not sure who I'm rooting for most in this matter, the humans that actually captured a monster or the wretched vampire that found his uncertain freedom. Still, we have a job to do and either way he must be rendered silent."

"I guess so, but there's got to be more to this picture than just that. I mean, those people were going to cook a vampire as if it was a sacrifice or something. But what for…?" Seras replied with concern and looked down at Mr. Lane. "Here," she said and snapped on a flashlight, leaning over to hand it to him. "I found this on the ground over there. I bet you can't see a thing out here with those human eyes of yours. Don't worry. I'm pretty sure we got all the ghouls so you should be safe now."

William was still sitting on the pine needle-covered forest floor next to the scratchy bushes where he had been hiding the entire time. The farmer slowly took the flashlight from her hand and without pointing it directly at them, saw two people standing before him, a man and a woman. Both of them had red eyes. Now that he had light, he confirmed that the man was wearing sunglasses. _Sunglasses at night?_ Who does that?

The farmer decided he liked the female more. She seemed a lot less threatening than the chap in red did and… she was a lot cuter. "Thank you, but I do have a flashlight on me I just didn't want to attract attention to myself," he said to the woman dressed like a soldier in a burgundy uniform. She had the name _Hellsing_ on a black, yellow and red patch on her breast pocket. His eyes widened at the size of her gun. "So you're really not going to kill me?"

"If we were going to kill you you'd already be dead." The one in the red duster answered menacingly.

"Master!" Seras admonished.

"What?" The tall vampire responded with lethargic languor. "Let's call someone to come collect Mr. Lane so we can wrap up this charade already. I'm going to go—"

A phone began to ring.

The draculina's face deadpanned. "Is that… isn't that an opening theme song from something?" Seras muttered in disbelief, narrowing her eyes at Alucard accusingly. "Tell me that's not your phone, Master?"

Alucard was not about to tell her how awesome it was that he could watch TV shows on his new devices, old or new. It was hard to know where to start, being that there is an exorbitant amount of entertainment in the human world. However, the other day he found a list on the Internet containing the top 100 TV shows one must watch before they die. How fortunate that the dying part didn't apply to him, though.

"Master, you should really have that on silent or vibrate during a mission."

The vampire king dug the mobile out from the recesses of his coat, the white glow of the screen glaring off his glasses. "I thought you wanted me to be on the same page with you?" he replied dryly. The song kept playing. "It's Integra."

"Don't keep her waiting!"

With a sigh, he pushed the green on-screen button.

Seras _could not_ believe her master sometimes. It was almost as if he did this on purpose to annoy her. She clenched her jaw in frustration and waited while Alucard spoke with Integra. When he ended the call she questioned, "What does she want?"

"She said in her words, 'What the hell is taking so long, servant?'" Alucard replied, which just sounded weird when he tried to emulate Sir Integra. "She seemed more complacent when I told her we have Mr. Lane, however."

Seras sighed. "Yeah, we need to wrap this up soon and clean up this mess; we can't call in the team until we dispose of the vampire. Come on, we don't have time to wait for someone to come get Mr. Lane. He'll just have to come with us."

Before anyone could make a move, the sound of an engine roared to life, startling all three of them. It came from the clearing near the smoldering fire pit. The black pick-up truck that delivered the cage sped out of woods, its headlights revealing a trail through the tall skinny trees. Someone must have been hiding inside of it and the smoke from the fire disguised their scent.

Seras immediately knelt in position and aimed the cannon at the truck, firing off a depleted uranium shell. It exploded into the trees. The truck veered around a corner, dodging it by a hair.

The trees around the explosion went down in a burst of bark and dirt.

"Shit!" Seras hissed and ordered the farmer with a strange mad glint of excitement in her eye. "Stay with my master. I'm going after the truck." She vanished in the blink of an eye.

The farmer glanced up at the tall man in red cautiously.

Alucard reached down, grasped William by the scruff and hulled him up to his feet. "Are you able to walk, Farmer?"

William wobbled a bit but he managed to remain standing. "I think so." Handled like a rag doll, he brushed at his shoulder, straightening his crumpled hoodie indignantly.

"Good, then you're coming with me." Alucard told him and walked away, headed towards William's farm fields.

Mr. Lane was not sure how he felt about that, but he quickly trailed after the red coat and hat fading into the darkness. Now was not the time to be picky. "You and that girl aren't human, are you?" he asked bravely. "Will she… will she be alright going after that truck?"

Alucard huffed knowing perfectly well that the person in the truck had much more to fear than Seras did. He replied without turning to look at the human. "She will be fine. As for what we are… we are vampires but I thought you figured that out already. You are the one that called in this vampire attack in the first place. It would seem like you are familiar with such creatures. Or perhaps you are not and you were only in the wrong place at the wrong time." The nosferatu felt a change in William and chuckled. "What's the matter? Your heart is beating faster."

"It's just… vampires hunting other vampires," William said with disbelief. "Why?"

This time Alucard turned to look at the other man with his short bedraggled brown hair, face covered with blood spatter and bits of ghoul flesh. "Just because you can make a vampire doesn't mean you should. Someone needs to take out the trash," Alucard rationalised. "Anyways, I have my reasons for hunting these pathetic vampire vermin. Stop asking so many questions. Just be quiet or..."

There came the sickening sound of tearing fabric, flesh and cracking bones.

Alucard's eyes shot open. He gasped and jerked as blood spurt from his mouth. Something severed his spine and tore apart his innards. His hat fell off and his glasses slid from his face to the ground from the sudden movement. White-hot pain spread across his entire body and he looked down his front with sheer astonishment, which turned into a hideous snarl. Protruding from his stomach was the bloody point of a huge wooden fence post.

"…or we might attract attention." He finished before he sank to his knees and keeled over frontwards.

William stared on with open-mouthed horror, his flashlight shaking in his hands.

* * *

 

The driver of the black truck had the gas pedal shoved to the floor, driving out of the woods as fast as he could make it. He felt mild relief when he made it to the bottom of the hill, avoiding that blast, and praying that his assailant was eating his dirt. He headed for the side road that would lead to the main roads.

It was all fields and grass on both sides swallowed up in darkness. The headlight led the way.

Fuck this shit. He wasn't sticking around to be eaten by that freaking vampire or to be blown to bits by whomever the hell was shooting at him. And what the heck was that anyways, _a rocket launcher?_ If those crazy sons of bitches church freaks wanted to roast a vampire so they could brag about it later then they could count him out. Hells to the no, he was finished with this fanatical bunch.

Screw that deranged bunch. And screw that _guy_. He could kiss his sorry ass.

No sooner had he relished in his freedom that something landed on the roof of his truck with a heavy thud. A second later, the barrel of a big gun smashed through his windshield. He swerved trying to throw off the culprit but the next thing he knew a hand reached down and grabbed him right out of his seat by his white robes, hauling him clean out of the truck.

"Oh, hello," Seras said sweetly to the man before tossing him from the hood of the still moving truck.

The man landed hard on his back with a groan, gaining a few scratches and plenty of bruises. His head swirled.

The driverless truck sped away until it careened through a wooden fence and went straight into a swampy pond, where the front of it sank into the black water, its back wheels still spinning.

"No, please don't kill me!" cried the man with his hands flailing above him. "I haven't done anything wrong. _I'm_ not the monster!"

Seras stood over the brawny man with a reddish goatee and short dark hair, aiming her long cannon straight at his nose, one foot on his thigh to keep it from kicking at her. She applied enough weight to make him squirm. "I should kill you anyways for even participating in something so horrid but there must be a reason behind it," the draculina said logically, "And you're going to tell me. What the hell was going on here? Why were you people going to sacrifice that vampire? What's up with your ridiculous costume? And what organization did you all come from? A church…?"

"I have no reason to tell you anything!" He stormed at her.

"Then how about I just turn you into a mindless little ghoul by drinking all of your blood?" Seras threatened, flashing her fangs with a diabolical smirk. "You think you got away from all that but— _surprise—_ I'm a vampire too."

The man seemed genuinely appalled by that and writhed on the ground a little more frantically. "Listen, I don't know anything _really_. I'm just a Watcher. It's the Seekers that hunt for the vampires and when they catch one we get together to burn 'em alive. All I did was drive the bloody truck."

"But why…? Who's the person in charge of this ritual?" Seras wondered.

The man tried to move the cannon away but to no avail. "I don't know, I swear!" He assured. "And what the hell do you mean, 'why'? Why are _you_ hunting me down for doing God's work? We cannot rely on the government to clean up the mess when all they do is make bigger ones. They are totally useless. They pretend everything is all hunky dory when there are _real_ monsters living amongst us—they think we don't know and they blame terrorists for the destruction of London. It's insane! They can't stop it so someone needs to step up, right?"

Seras was no stranger to this kind of anti-government talk, which was kind of how things were now days, but the man had a point. "I'm not here to kill humans or even you, I'm here to kill the vampire that escaped that cage and clean up the ghouls he created. He'll become a threat to people if we don't stop him. The Hellsing Organization will also be questioning you."

" _Hellsing!_ I know all about your filthy little organization. A prime example of hypocrisy, I say! They claim to be vigilant monster hunters but at the same time use vampires to do their bidding. You're one of the Hellsing pet vampires, aren't you? I know about you and that big guy who has a thing for that vampire-hunting bitch."

The nosferatu saw red. "How dare you speak of my Masters that way? They work hard to protect people from harmful supernatural threats. Well… sometimes Alucard enjoys the killing spree a little too much, but he gets the job done. If humans work for monsters then that makes them monsters, too!" Seras growled, genuinely angry to hear anyone talk badly of people she considered her family and pushed the gun harder into the man's face until his nose snapped.

The man screamed and held out his hands to make her stop, blood gushing from his nose. That's when Seras noticed his bandage hand with a missing index finger.

"What happened to you finger?" She questioned suspiciously, releasing the pressure on the cannon against his face.

"They cut it off!" He wailed.

"Why…?"

"I don't know!" he cried.

"Did it have a tattoo on it?"

"Yes, of The Eye," the man replied. "Listen, if I say anymore they'll kill me. I'm just an errand boy, a nobody. They won't think twice about writing me off."

She could not believe it. This was the person to which that severed finger belonged, the one that was delivered to The Convention of Twelve the other day. "What's the purpose of The Eye tattoo… what does it mean? Why would they send it to someone?" Seras wondered bringing the gun away from his face completely. She shouldered the weapon, eager to hear his answer.

"It's our motto—our mark," he explained. "All I've heard is that it means something like: If you cross us bad shit will happen to you. I didn't really have a choice you either get the tattoo or die."

* * *

 

Alucard began to chortle deeply and evilly as William looked on as if he was ready to wet himself. The farmer could not believe the intimidating vampire hunter was still talking.

"Well, well… I didn't think finding you would be so simple, but here you are, coming to me so freely instead of making me hunt you down like those other annoying vampires. I am not sure if you are just stupid or if your mother dropped you on your head as an infant but you should have run while you had the chance, maggot."

"W-why haven't you died?" The vampire with short wavy dark hair asked while a look of anxious fear crossed his youthful face covered with blood.

"The real question is: why did you shove a stake into my back?" Alucard retort as he lay sprawled in an awkward fashion on his knees, hands holding himself up in front of himself with a giant pole sticking out of his back. "I'm truly impressed by the fact that you impaled me… sort of stirs up some nostalgia. Yet, how did you sneak up on me?"

"I masked my scent with ghoul blood." The other vampire responded, literally covered from head to toe as if he had jumped into a pool of blood. He said, "I thought I'd get rid of you, first. I—I heard what you said. You and that girl are here to kill me. I'm not going to let you."

"Were you born yesterday?" Alucard taunted, even though his back was to the other creature. "When you stake a vampire it should be through the heart, stop the heart from beating and you stop the flow of life or un-life. Get it?"

"No, I _don't_ get it. I didn't ask to become this!" shouted the other man. "I begged them not to do it. Even after I was faithful to them and did everything that they asked."

While Alucard played possum, he figured it would be a good time to get a few questions answered. "Who's _they_? How did you get turned?"

"Why should I tell you?" The other man hissed, still keeping his distance a few feet away.

The vampire king already had one hand on the stock of his Casull, finger on the trigger, hidden from the other vampire's view inside his coat. "Oh, I don't know… maybe because it will be the last time you get to say your peace before I put you in the ground."

"It doesn't look like you'll be putting me anywhere." Seeing as the red-clad vampire hunter was out of commission, the escapee vampire felt emboldened. "After tonight, I don't give two shits who knows what those assholes did to me," he said. "It was a group of holy hunters, a powerful group though, working behind the scenes of our church, as far as I know. I was just an eager follower at the St. Matthias church in Hackney… they promised I'd become a Watcher."

"A Watcher…?"

"The first stage of becoming a holy hunter," the vampire stated. "Every member of The Hunters starts out by proving their allegiance at a vampire burning, The Sacrifice."

"Only you became their sacrifice…"

The man growled. "They have a prime vampire which they use to make more vampires… these _so called_ holy hunters are nothing but a bunch of scam artists. They _make_ vampires so they can claim they hunted one down and then they kill it, burn it. For glory. For prestige. Whatever the fuck you want to call it. Their following is immense because of it—foolish people are believing this shit. This church community is larger than any other congregation in all of London. But they are nothing but bloody cheaters! Making us followers believe they are actually finding real monsters and cleansing the earth of them!"

"Hmm, that sounds rather pathetic. Humans certainly think up everything." Alucard determined. "So where is this 'prime' vampire now?"

"I don't know about that, I was blindfolded and brought to some kind of basement location where they housed this vampire. Could be my regular church or some other place, I guess. That vampire turned me and then they kept me there in the dark for six freakin' days, torturing me night and day. Tonight was the first time I tasted blood. I felt _so_ strong."

It was a sad story but a mission was still a mission. In the blink of an eye, Alucard vanished from the spot he was in and even before the fencepost hit the ground, he appeared right in front his attacker. "Seems to me you are no better than they are," he claimed before he thrust his hand right through the vampire's heart.

When Alucard extracted his arm, which all happened so fast, William could see a heart in his hand before he gleefully crushed it in his first. This time the farmer could not hold back… he puked.

The young vampire gave garbled cry of shock and blood gushed out of him before he crumpled to the ground and disintegrated into a big mess of blood and bluish ash.

The newbie did not even see it coming. He never stood a chance.

Looking satisfied, Alucard glanced off in the direction that Seras went and smiled. "I knew she would be fine." He murmured and looked over at William, who stood trembling with shock, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve. "Mr. Lane, I think it's time we brought you home." The vampire king's wounds were already healing with an incoming of black shadow and spilt blood being absorbed beneath his feet.

William nodded and thanked God silently. "I wish I could forget this night," he whimpered.

"That can be arranged," the lofty vampire told him serenely. "But after you speak to my Master." And thinking about masters, Alucard pulled out his new phone and wrote a text message to Integra.

_Mission complete. Vampire dead. Got Mr. Lane._

Integra replied a moment later.

_It's about time, Alucard. Why are you texting me this?_

_I wanted to say 'Hi'._

_Bite me._

_Is that an offer?_

_Not on your life. But you can give your report in my room :)_

_Oh, that'll do. XoXo_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Such a busy chapter, I know. Phew! I truly hope you enjoyed the violent fun. I really wanted it to have that Hellsing kind of weirdness to it... hope I managed that with the addition of some humour. Poor Mr. Lane XD! I truly felt bad for the guy.
> 
> Next! Chapter 8: Push and Pull - Part 1. The next two chapters are truly one big chapter but I had to break them up into two. I must advise that they will definitely contain some sexual content mixed in with business. However, saying that, I want to assure you this story is NOT an excuse for shameless smut. I believe I wrote it in a tasteful sort of way and there won't be much more of that for many chapters to come. So enjoy it now lol!


	8. Push and Pull - Part 1

**East End, London - August 7th, 3:14 p.m.**

"My Lord!" A subordinate called out urgently as he entered a dimly lit living room, darkened by the thick red curtains that were drawn shut during the middle of the day.

Sitting on one of the white leather couches, in a very posh and modernistic room painted in soft taupes with Rothko-inspired block-style floor rugs, Sergiu reluctantly removed his lips from the ear of the longhaired Asian man that sat next to him. He wore a look of impatience when his hazel-eyed gaze landed on Alex who was standing there in his expensive tailored suit, looking a bit anxious.

"What is it, Alex? Can you not see that I have delectable company?" Sergiu purred aristocratically with the slightest hint of a foreign accent. With a cocky smile, he smoothed a manicured hand along his companion's thigh.

Alex was accustomed to his boss's dalliances with the same sex and it pained him to bother Sergiu with this news. "I just found out The Hellsing Organization has Mr. Yarwood who is being held at a local police station. In addition, they spoiled a Sacrifice last night. According to Yarwood the vampire escaped his silver cage and attacked everyone." The man with a slender build and a trimmed black goatee continued. "If we are not careful, Hellsing will have their vampire dogs sniffing in our backyard. Yarwood was expendable. I warned you. We should have killed him once we cut off his finger and sent it to the Twelve," he explained in a cold and calculating way.

Sergiu instantly forgot about his little trollop with his dark hair tied up in a loose knot, his unbuttoned shirt, his soft brown eyes and a killer body that felt so good beneath his hands. He sat back against the sofa grudgingly, looking directly at Alex. He placed his heavy rawhide boots up on the glass coffee table, crossing them at the ankles and reached up to fiddle with a chain that had many charms on it that hung around his neck. The charms were blue and white with a black pupil that resembled small eyes—worn to ward off the evils of The Evil Eye. They called them _nazar_. At least, that is what the Roma used to call it.

"There is no reason to fret, my dear Alex. Once our secret weapon completes his mission, Alucard will have to answer to The Convention of Twelve. Do you really think those twats will let such a loose cannon roam the streets of London after what happened with the Zeppelin Affair? His days are numbered, along with his cute fledgling, Miss Victoria. Integra Hellsing will be left with nothing but her pathetic armed forces, who, if given the chance, could not find their own tails in the dark if they had to. She has no idea what she's up against—so, not to worry, she _will_ be dealt with." Sergiu chuckled fiendishly under his breath.

Alex sniffed a diminutive laugh at that but his look of concern overcame him once more. "But if they find out about Winmore Crane's society and his involvement with our firm, we'll have to deal with not only Hellsing but the other agencies. We've always worked under the radar; this could put us in the spot light, my lord."

Sergiu laughed heartily and picked up a crystal tumbler from the side glass table, bringing it to his lips. He let the expensive scotch burn warmly down his throat before continuing, "I have spent many years being ridiculed for who I am. You know what that is like, Alex. Don't you remember? Has it been that long that you have forgotten? I took you in. I gave you purpose and strength. Just look at you now, so fetching in your suit and fancy shoes… a fine Englishman. _That's_ control." He waved a hand out towards the other man as if he was a prized racehorse. He scoffed. "I've been in this business way too long to lose that easily, my friend. The master himself taught me everything I ever needed to know. God rest his soul. So _do not_ underestimate me." He warned. "I want nothing more than to rid this planet of vampires and if a few humans have to die along the way… well, I won't lose any sleep at night."

The nameless lover seemed bored of all the chitchat and decided to play with Sergiu's tousled light brown hair streaked with blond highlights and bangs that lay scattered across his elegant brows. The crime lord gave no reaction to these touches. Sergiu was as cool as a cucumber, sipping his drink while his boy-toy fondled his hair.

Alex sighed at the spectacle. "I understand they are to blame for this but—"

"—THEY DESERVE TO DIE, ALEX! ALL OF THEM!"

The nameless young lover and Alex startled at the outburst.

Sergiu closed his eyes and took a deep breath, holding a hand to the collar of his white dress shirt, fingers resuming with fiddling with his charms. "Don't pester me about things you don't understand, my friend. I have my reasons. All you have to do is go take care of that Watcher and give The Hunters another sacrifice, keep 'em happy. In return, they will keep making us money. Got that?"

"Yes, my Lord. I'll go deal with that right away, but… it's going to take our inside man to get near Yarwood." Alex explained. "They are holding him at the station in a cell. No doubt, it is probably well guarded. Might even be a Hellsing guard there as well."

"I'm sure that you're right. However, you have the power to _convince_ them, Alex. It shouldn't be much of a hindrance for a man like yourself. You are one of the best assassins I've got. Go there and put a bullet in his head before they resort to letting the Hellsing vampires drink his blood to fish for the answers. I cannot have them discovering that Yarwood was our agent or that he was spying on the Hellsing Headquarters for us. Hellsing is oblivious to our organization and I want it to remain that way until I am ready. I'll let our operative know you're on the way there myself." Sergiu directed calmly and dipped two fingers into his glass of Scotch before holding them out in front of his plaything to suck clean, returning his attention back to his more… leisurely activities.

Alex swallowed hard as Sergiu's lover used his tongue to lick around the other man's fingers. Yes, he owed this man a great deal for everything he's done for him. If it wasn't for Sergiu he'd still be an orphaned street rat committing petty crimes for drugs and pennies. He lifted his jaw proudly before he replied with confidence, "It won't be a problem, my Lord. I'll make you proud of me."

* * *

**Hellsing Manor - August 7th, 4:46 p.m.**

Lilith Medrea quietly slipped into Integra's office carrying a tea tray while the Hellsing director was on the phone with the Commissioner. She approached the front of the other woman's long desk, placing the tray down on the left corner and waited patiently.

"Commissioner Roberts are you saying the coroner believes the deaths of those young women I've been hearing about on the news were caused by _vampire_?" Integra's tone reached a foul level. She waited a breath, listening to the man speaking on the other end of the phone that she held to her ear. "What do you mean they were staked in the heart before they could turn?"

There was a moment pause as the Head of Police tried to reason with her.

She roared, surging to her feet. "I don't care if he thinks he knows how to kill vampires or not! If there were suspicions rising from the death of the first victim, why wasn't it reported to Hellsing? This is shoddy work. Please inform the coroner not to stake last night's victim just yet, since doing so leaves nothing more than a gaping hole in their chests. That imbecile! If they were turned into ghouls or vampires then the victims he staked would have disintegrated by now." She paused. "They haven't disintegrated you say? Well… then, it is likely they were not transformed into anything. You know as well as I do there are protocols in these matters. I imagine that if they were to become ghouls, they would have already done so by now. Either way, I will send an agent there myself _right now_ to confirm these findings and speak with the coroner. If it is a vampire causing this mayhem then _we_ will put a stop to it, rest assured. But I cannot have citizens performing these acts without proper investigation. It's vital to stop the culprit at the source. You know better than that."

Integra glanced at her assistant as she stood there in her sharp business attire and red hair tied up in a knot. She held one index finger up at her, signifying that she would be a moment longer on the phone. Then suddenly her right eye bulged as she interoperated whatever Commissioner Roberts said to her on her mobile.

"What exactly are you trying to insinuate, Roberts? Are you suggesting _I_ already know who the culprit is? What do you mean there was a witness? That's impossible." Integra said aghast. "No, he would _never_ repeat that sort of behaviour… things are different now just as they have been different for over a hundred years."

She sat back down and began drumming her fingernails over the oak surface of her desk, listening to Roberts.

"Save your apologies. Next time do not hesitate to inform me of any such suspicious attacks. It is bad enough we have this religious group calling themselves Holy Hunters, claiming to be ridding the world of vampires with some mad ritual they call The Sacrifice. True, it is a benefit that the population is more aware of such threats but it also hinders and forces the creatures to hide just a little bit better." She heaved a great sigh and urged. "We'll get to the bottom of this. As for the matter in Hampshire County last night, I will be questioning that Yarwood fellow myself within the hour since he will not give my men anything new other than what he already told Seras."

Integra was silent for a moment.

"Yes, I'll be bringing Alucard with me… if I can't get the man to talk then _he_ certainly will. If not we'll bleed the truth out of him—he can't evade us forever claiming he knows nothing about who is behind the attempted vampire sacrifice we stumbled upon last night. There is a suspicious operation going on right under our noses, Roberts, I can feel it, and I'm going to find out who is behind this." The Hellsing director nodded her head gently. She seemed satisfied by the Commissioner's answer and hung up the phone after a short and snappy goodbye.

"Is everything alright, Sir Integra?" Lilith questioned cautiously as she placed a paper clipped stack of files on her boss's desk.

Integra opened a small drawer to her desk and extracted her cigars. She thumbed opened the package and pulled out a long thin cigar and placed it between her teeth. Then she lit it up and inhaled gratefully, setting the lighter back on the desktop. "No, everything is not alright, Lilith," she answered tiredly as she exhaled a plume of smoke. "I will explain in a moment, but first…"

Integra called out for the Miss Victoria.

In a few seconds, Seras flung the office door open and poked her pert blonde head inside. "Master Integra, what's the matter?"

"Please close the door and come in, Seras. I have dreadful news to report and I need to send you on a small errand in the city—small being relative unless you discover otherwise," Integra explained contritely, yet relieved to see her reliable friend.

"Of course, Sir, I'd be glad to go on an errand for you." Seras answered and walked up to the desk in her usual Hellsing uniform, waiting for Integra to fill her in on what was going on. "Should I call Master?"

"That's not necessary at the moment," the Hellsing director assured her.

The new assistant spoke up before business began. "I brought tea even though you've told me not to bother with such tasks… I just thought you might need it." Lilith nudged the tea tray a little closer to Integra. "Shall I pour some?"

"That would be a godsend, Lilith," Integra replied. "Thank you. Please pour yourself some and take a seat." She waved a hand at the empty chair next to Seras. "We have a few things to discuss, ladies. Information that shall not leave this room. Do you both understand?"

"Yes, Sir." Both Seras and Lilith answered at once.

The tea was poured and prepared in Integra's favourite cup with blue flowers. Lilith made herself a cup as well and then took a seat, holding her tea and saucer out in front her.

Integra sat back with her cigar still smoldering between her fingers, wisps of blue smoke circling up into the air. "There's another matter that has arisen and has just come to light when Commissioner Roberts telephoned me a moment ago," she began. "There has been a series of consecutive murders over the last three evenings… three young women, girls even, no older than sixteen, have been found dead and drained of blood, all of them showing the classic bite of a vampire." Integra told the two other women. "According to the police, the coroner believed it to be death by vampire and has taken the liberty to drive a stake into each of their hearts himself to prevent them from turning into new vampires."

Seras took a quick inhale of breath. _"He what…?"_

Integra grit her teeth in frustration. "I know, suddenly _everyone_ has become the expert. The bodies did not degenerate, so they were never going to turn, they were just dead. However, I need you go and see the newest victim's corpse and the other victims for yourself and let me know if you learn anything. We need to know if it really is the bite of a vampire or if someone is trying to emulate one."

Lilith calmly sipped her hot tea.

Seras wore her no-nonsense face. "And if she is turned—"

"—then you will destroy her, Seras." Integra finished for her servant flatly. "She did not ask for this so you will let set her soul free."

The young vampire would not show her displeasure about that and claimed with her head held high. "Yes, sir, is there anything else I should know before I leave?"

"There is one other matter but… I shan't speak it aloud." Integra sat up and crushed the cigar out in the ashtray with brute force, as if taking out her anger on the stubby piece of rolled tobacco. Then she stretched her arms across the desk, her charcoal-grey business suit stretching away from her thin wrists exposing her light brown skin. She held out her white-gloved hands. "I apologise Lilith, but there is something I must say to Seras in private and I can't take the chance that anyone can overhear. It's something I've learned in all the years I've lived with vampires." She told the other women.

Lilith simply nodded.

"Seras take my hands, please," Integra urged.

Seras Victoria sat up with surprise and glanced over at the new assistant before looking back at Integra. She bolted to her feet and came over to clasp Integra's slender hands with her own. Her master's hands were always so warm and soft. "You want me to read your mind, Sir?"

"Yes," replied Integra without delay. "I know that you're not as good at this as Alucard is but he has hundreds of years of experience and you do not. Besides, it has been a while since I shared my blood with you and I know that helps strengthen the connection. It might be easier if we have contact."

"Oh yes, that helps a lot," Seras agreed. "Um… err, just give me a moment." She pressed her lips together, shifting them back and forth in thought until she exclaimed, "I got it!"

"Then listen closely." Integra demanded. She closed her eyes and shared her thoughts.

Lilith sipped her tea as she watched them.

* * *

Seras Victoria was Integra's most trusted vampire companion. So trusted, that Integra even let her use one of her private cars to drive around in from time to time. Even Alucard did not have this privilege. Well, not yet. He still needed to re-earn his reliability.

The female draculina enjoyed these moments immensely, seeing as she could blast music in the car and sing to the songs she loved without anyone overhearing. She could wear regular civilian clothes and she could drive this black Jaguar F-Type V8 S sports car down the highway like a bat out of hell. It was flashy but in a modest type of way. It wasn't like a Corvette or anything, it suited Integra's style, Seras thought.

She had to admit, she was impressed with Integra's taste in cars. Alucard would wet himself over this thing, but he wasn't driving it, she was. The idea made her grin victoriously.

Today she wore her favourite pair of skinny jeans with a cute pink top and a smart looking black straw fedora. She wore her favourite strappy sandals and carried a fashionable purse, too. The outfit could still pass as semi-professional, depending on what sort of business that was required of her and today she fit the part.

That is what Integra told her.

No, Alucard did not get this privilege and after what Integra shared with her today, it might take a long while before he ever got a chance to drive this amazing car, or wear straw fedoras or carry cute purses.

Seras giggled at the thought.

"I really hope they're wrong about you, Master." She said aloud and gasped. Quickly, she did as Integra suggested. She thought of fluffy kittens, pizza and vacuum cleaners. _Gah! What the hell is wrong with me_ , she thought with her strange mental choices.

It didn't matter what she thought about really as long as it wasn't anything she wanted to share. Her sire and she shared a vampiric link and he could connect to her mind anytime he wished. Right now, she had to keep her business to herself until she sorted out this mess. However, Pip could speak to her and Alucard could not overhear him talking or his thoughts, but Seras could.

"So, Integra wants you to kill a young girl vampire if she is turned and talk to a witness claiming she saw a man that looks like Alucard in one of the victim's homes?" Pip said to her inside her mind. " _Mon dieu,_ as soon as that old vampire comes back into town all the shit hits the fans, eh?"

"Oh Pip, this is the worst… this cannot be happening. It must be some kind of mistake." Seras said over the rock song playing on the radio. "Also, I really hope the girl isn't changing into a vampire—I hate having to take out young vampires like that. It's like killing yourself somehow."

"Perhaps, girlie, but will she really live a happy life as a monster? Maybe it's better to send her up to the angels above, no?"

Seras sighed. "That's not my place to say. I'm just going to go get this over with as quick as I can. Please don't say anything more. I'm in the middle of a mission, I can't screw this up. If Alucard finds out about this… well, you know what he's like."

"Duly noted, my little c _apitaine._ So how about you turn up that radio. We can sing a few songs to pass the time and block him from reading your mind… you have the prettiest voice, _ma_ _chérie_." The Frenchman claimed sweetly.

Blushing profusely Seras replied, "You're making that up, Pip Bernadotte."

* * *

**Hellsing Manor, 6:02 p.m.**

Integra hung up the phone with a sigh.

She pushed herself away from the dinner table where she sat all alone in the grand dining hall. She no longer had much of an appetite after this sudden phone call but managed to eat a little to settle her stomach. Normally Seras would accompany her at suppertime and they would chat, but she was still out on her investigative mission. And tonight Lilith was out, claiming she had some of her own business to take care of in the city. The woman said she would be back in a few hours.

The Hellsing director was alone to harbour the heavy weight of disquiet pressing on her conscience. It was just bad news after bad news.

She was not entirely alone though and it irked her that Alucard has ignored her all day. Drawn to him, frustrated with him, needing him, she let her feet guide her and she wandered the old mansion halls until she found herself standing before a tall mirror that ultimately led to the sub-levels, where the old nosferatu dwelled.

She pushed aside the gilded mirror with little effort to reveal a set of long descending stairs. The air coming up from the basement was cool. Down below all she could see was pitch-black, like the bottom of a well. Without hesitation, Integra made her way down the stairs towards the shadows.

The basement was where both Alucard and Seras housed themselves in moderately furnished rooms that were made of cold stone foundations and swathed in darkness. Granted Alucard's large space was much darker than Seras's space, who still managed to maintain a regular looking bedroom like any normal human would. Sometimes, Integra could not understand how Alucard tolerated such a dank, empty part of the manor. Perhaps it was part of his vampiric nature or maybe none of that mattered to him anymore. It was somewhat depressing but he seemed to like it.

It wasn't like she didn't give him the option to make this space more lively. All she knew was that if she were a vampire she would not live in this hellhole without some disparagement. Still, his space was more pleasant than the dungeons in the sub-levels on the other side of the manor. The dungeons in which she first met Alucard all desiccated and tethered to a wall behind a sealed door.

By the time she reached the bottom floor, Integra could see dim bluish lights that revealed a path towards Seras's room on the right. Straight ahead of her was Alucard's chamber, which was more like a grand hall. She entered the room with its high ceilings, so high, that the soft lights lining the top of the walls drowned in the darkness below. There was only enough light to faintly make out the red figure reclining on his red cushioned, throne-like chair with its tall back and wooden frame.

She could hear him chuckling to himself, holding a glass of red wine that he swirled absently in one hand while holding his phone in the other, legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. The intense light coming from the phone highlighted his pale features as if he were made of wax and telling spooky stories around a campfire with a flashlight. From where she stood, Integra could see that Alucard wore a white pair of headphones, the small ear bud kind to listen to whatever he was watching.

She approached wearing a lop-sided smirk and placed a pair of fists on her hips. "So, this is what has you distracted today," she claimed with a loud sniff, "Television."

Alucard's eyes shifted to look up at her and a wide devilish smile spread across his face. He raised his head and pressed the pause button on his mobile. Then he yanked the earphones out with one pull of his gloved hand. "I have missed out on so many great programs while I was away… it's difficult to stop."

"It's called binge-watching, Alucard. You are incorrigible." She muttered.

He set the device and headphones down on his little side table and spoke calmly. "Perhaps you're right, but what does it matter? It's not like we're going anywhere now, correct?"

Integra sighed. "You overheard my conversation at dinner about The Watcher, then?"

"Indeed, I have. He has been assassinated, rubbed out of existence by a mystery killer right under the noses of the men that were supposed to be guarding him. How very intriguing," Alucard mused. "I wonder how they got around that obstacle. One thing is for sure, someone out there does not want us to find out who is operating that Sacrifice ritual. We know why, however. The vampire I killed claimed that these so-called Hunters capture and kill a vampire to obtain notoriety with followers, ultimately to gain a larger following at their church. Likely for profits. It seems these guys want to be top dog among the monster hunters cropping up all over London."

"It's like they are building an army of vampire hunters or something," Integra stipulated. "Nevertheless, we do know that The Eye symbol is connected to an organization involved with that ritual and the people that conduct it, plus they seem to have the means to create vampires on demand. We know that Yarwood was a member of that organization and that his finger was cut off and sent to The Convention of Twelve a few days ago. I still wonder what the purpose of sending us that finger was though."

"As I told you before, the Evil Eye symbolises bad luck to those receiving it," Alucard reminded her. "It would seem to me that their message was clear. Also, Seras believes that The Watcher, Mr. Yarwood, was also spying on the Hellsing Headquarters with his diatribe of hateful commentary directed at Hellsing, myself and you."

Integra's shoulders lowered a touch. "I can't help but feel as if our world is about to fall apart again, Alucard." She was not even going to start about the current murders of young women or the fact that someone believes they saw Alucard at the scene of the crime. The Hellsing director cleared her mind. She would not bring that up until she got more information, but it certainly made her look suspiciously at the vampire king.

"I promised not to read your thoughts and I have granted you that, my master, but I can't help but feel it, something inside tells me you're still troubled with me." He held out his glass of wine. "You look like you could use a drink."

Before she could protest, Alucard set down his own glass and was already pouring red wine into the spare glass he usually had on his table. "Oh, alright," she agreed as he filled her glass half way. He held it out to her and when she reached out for it, he pulled it further away.

"Come closer," he purred, his voice lowering a few octaves. "Don't resist it, Integra. We have the whole house to ourselves this evening, not a soul to bother us except a few lowly servants."

He had no idea how urgently she wanted to forget about all the problems surrounding her and just run to him. But she wouldn't do that so easily. "I _am_ troubled with you, servant. Why did you say those things around Lilith the other day? And why didn't you show up on the helipad last night and instead used your new power to just will yourself to Hampshire County?" She glared at him with her one good eye, the dim blue lights in the room glinting off her spectacles.

Alucard scoffed. "I see. You're still upset about that." He sat up straight, crossed his legs and set her glass of wine back down on the table. "Doesn't it make you even the slightest bit curious about what Hellsing would be like if operated by a vampire? Imagine yourself in such a position of power… how glorious, right? If ever there was a mortal that deserves the gift of immortality, it is you, my beautiful master. Unlike the undeserving scum, _you_ would not abuse such gifts with wanton greed and mindless idiot human tendencies. Instead you would howl at the moon and I would howl right next to you."

At this Integra chuckled at the ridiculous notion and images filling her head. "Howling at the moon? Is that what you desire?"

The centuries old vampire smiled and placed his chin coyly on his hand, his elbow resting on the arm of the chair. He was ready for some verbal jesting. "All I desire is the woman before me who makes me want to howl and crow every time I see her."

The way he said that made a parts of Integra's body hot. She could feel heat rising to her face unwillingly. "You're trying to change the subject," she accused him, trying to reverse his affect on her.

"Why should I waste our precious time alone talking about pointless actions? I was curious about Lilith's reaction to my comment even at the expense of angering you. I am not sorry I said it. And as for my arrival in Hampshire, I wanted to test out my navigation skills using my new technology. Is that a crime?" He wondered.

" _'Crime'_ is not a word I want to hear spewing out of your mouth, Alucard. Be very careful what you say." She warned.

Alucard studied her quietly and inquisitively.

She sighed. "I do understand that you and Seras have some sort of training going on with GPS tracking and whatnot. She mentioned something of a similar nature to me. I apologise if I've been rather stringent with you, there's just so much going on lately."

Alucard chuckled under his breath. "Then you won't mind if I'm a little stringent with you right now," he told her and laughed more at the expression on her face when he said it. "I can't tell you how delighted I am that you've come down here to pay me a visit. It's such an honour. It's not as cozy as your bedroom but I do have a lovely coffin nearby that I find to be _very_ comforting."

"I'll skip on the whole coffin thing," she assured him with a deadpanned look. Integra was not sure what Alucard meant about being stringent until he used some black shadow magic on her. A long black and reddish shadow arm seemed to sprout from his shoulder and flew towards her, wrapping around her waist as if they were about to dance, urging her closer. She had to take a step forward so as not to fall on her face, his strength undoubtedly outweighing hers.

"You are clearly abusing your restriction levels," she alleged.

"Oh dear," he mocked. "Then what will you do, my master?"

What could she do? Behind her scowl, she was rather amused. "It looks like I'll be having that wine after all," she answered, tongue in cheek. "But I could order you to discontinue your actions."

"Are we going to do this again, butt heads together until one of us ends up on top of the other, kissing like young lovers in the loft of grandfather's old barn?" He awarded her a killer smile. "I love a good roll in the hay," he murmured, still dragging her closer with his shadow arm.

Integra slowly approached against her will and when she stood directly before him, a deviant grin lit up her face.

"Monster..."

"Petty human…"

Both scoffed with a syzygy they could not escape or deny. Whether they liked it or not Integra was Alucard's pull just as he was her push, like the nexus between the earth and moon. Once together, they were a single vibrant force of unimaginable energy.

Alucard uncrossed his legs and yanked her down to sit on his lap. His shadow arm disappeared and his real arms enveloped her adoringly, holding her close to him. "I should have joined you at the dinner table this evening, but I was all wrapped up in my silly program and instead ignored you when you needed me most. Please forgive me."

It took a moment for her spike of alarm to settle into something more comforting, her legs dangling over the right arm of his chair. All the evil things she worried about in regards to Alucard faded away, momentarily. He had such a firm, yet, gentle hold on her and it felt good.

"No, there is no need to apologise. I'm not a child who requires supervision, Alucard. I cannot withhold the few pleasures you have in this world just because I'm unsettled. I came down here not because I wished to argue with you but…" She hesitated.

"But what?" he coaxed. "Tell me…"

"I wanted to do exactly what we are doing now," she answered.

"Really…? All that song and dance when all you wanted was this, to hold each other and speak witty words of affection? Such a stubborn woman," Alucard professed and picked up the glass of wine he poured for her earlier. "It's a port wine that I believe you will like. I found it in the wine cellar. Try it."

Integra took the glass and brought it to her lips, tipping it up until she got a small mouthful of rich, sweet red wine. When she moved the glass away, Alucard replaced it with his mouth. She moaned as he kissed her, parting her lips in surprise and sending a splat of wine to the floor that had escaped her glass. His tongue used the opportunity to invade her mouth, tasting the nectar of the wine on her tongue.

He growled in delight even as the locks of her pale hair tickled his face. Using his tongue, he deepened their kiss as his free hand pawed over the front of her body, over the red cravat and silver cross she wore at her throat. Even though he wore gloves, the silver burnt him but his hiss of pain was swallowed by Integra's soft moan. Beneath the cloth, he could feel her breasts and the beating of her heart. He found the gun nestled inside her charcoal blazer.

With a dark twitter, he removed his lips from hers and plucked out the semi-automatic handgun from inside her jacket. "Armed and dangerous, I approve," he mused and set the weapon on his table next to his sunglasses and his own trusted gun.

Integra took another swallow of wine while watching him carefully. The streaks of grey in his raven locks scattered across his forehead, the sweep of his brow, his immovable claret gaze held on her. His pupils dilated. She wasn't finished with him yet and used her right hand, that was weaved into his thick black hair at the back of his head, to pull him towards her. Of course, she knew he allowed her the privilege of manhandling him, and she used it to her full advantage.

When their lips joined again, she bit him. Alucard pulled back instantly. He seemed surprised that his lip was actually bleeding. She must have bit hard. However, he was even more enthralled to see Integra licking the tiny drop of his blood off her lip with her tongue.

It aroused him instantly, he groaned euphorically.

Then the realisation of what she just did struck him. "If you get vampire blood in you, who knows what strange, _spooky_ things might happen. Unless… that's what you want. Maybe that's the real reason you came to visit," he marveled roguishly, trying to figure out her motive. He watched her carefully. "Perhaps you are ready to be my wife, share my blood. Turning you is simple with one bite. Draining you of blood. But where is the fun in that? I would rather share myself with you and make you my equal, Integra. Join me on this darkened path. Be my child of the night."

"I know what will happen," she told him tenaciously even as her damaged left eye socket tingled oddly. "I'm well versed in vampire lore."

"Are you so sure about that? Do you think you know everything there is to know about vampires?" The corner of his mouth curved up with a smirk. "You know that my blood can also heal and rejuvenate if you drink enough of it—I'm more than willing to share. Let me heal you eye."

"Let's not get carried away, now. Perhaps I just wanted to see if I could make you bleed." The Hellsing woman said bluntly and finished the wine in a large gulp. She reached over to set the empty glass down on the table.

"Mmm! Flirting with the devil! My, you have grown much bolder over the years, Integra Hellsing, my master," he whispered heatedly while he loosened the cravat at her neck and flicked open the buttons on her shirt. "You know, I haven't had _my_ supper yet. It's not safe to tempt me, woman."

Integra levelled her blue eye on his sultry red ones. "You forget we are already bound by invisible chains. Does it bother you," she wondered softly, "…to be tethered to someone like me?"

He grunted absurdly as he tugged off his left glove with his teeth and tossed it aside. "People may mock me for being your pet but having met someone like you, I wouldn't wish to be anyone else's loyal dog," he said with firm conviction. "That is, until the day you become my No Life Queen." He paused for a moment with an inner thought and then laughed outright. "Perhaps even then I'd still be your dog. As they say, behind every great man is an even greater woman… isn't that how it goes?"

Integra rolled her eye behind her glasses. "Oh, do shut up," she commanded and stifled his wicked laughter with another kiss.

His resounding moan vibrated through her entire being.

This time she let her own hands roam, one went inside his coat, beneath his dark suit jacket, fingers slipping over the fine fabric of his white dress shirt and over the firm body under it. The other hand continued to comb through his hair and along the smooth nape of his neck. She could feel his arousal pressed against her bottom and his wandering hand inside her shirt, cupping one of her breasts held up by a silky pink bra.

His hand went inside the bra. He squeezed firmly, revelling how her warm flesh melded to his hand, how soft her skin felt beneath his fingertips. He dragged his lips away from her mouth and over her cheek. "One day, I'm going to fuck you right here, _right here_ on this chair, my future queen," he breathed venomously next to her ear.

His words were like sinful poison, a promise to a most beautiful afterlife. Integra could hear herself swallowing and breathing harder with pent up urges. "I wouldn't want it to be anyone else." She heard herself say, her mind senseless with desire.

Alucard's eyes, veiled with lust and half-closed, burned brightly. He drew his tongue along her throat, cool and wet, her sweet blood rushing beneath the surface, teasing him mercilessly. So badly, he wanted to bite into her that he opened his jaws wide, rows of razor sharp teeth glinting in the minimal light provided.

" _Alucard…_ " the warning in Integra's voice was very sombre.

He merely grazed his teeth along the column of her throat, resisting the temptation and instead, savoured the minute trickle he created with small scrapes that resembled a cat scratch. "If you could only _feel_ what I _feel_ when such a sweet offering is flowing just one small bite away..." He made a sound much like he had reached his sexual climax, but it was merely the sound of tormented vampire. "There is nothing quite exquisite as the ebullience of life coursing my own veins. The warmth it shares with me, like a snake that heats its body under the rays of the sun. I want to feel your life filling me, rushing down my throat instead of these teasing little drops," he said like a twitchy crack addict.

For a woman that almost became a vampire snack, Integra remained quite unruffled. "Not today," she said, this time feeling a teensy amount of pity for him. She played with his red cravat and changed topics with haste. "I was thinking that since you've been so wrapped up in watching videos that you probably don't even read anymore, hmm?"

He removed his hand from her shirt and reached behind his back. "On the contrary, you have recently renewed my interest, master." In his hand, he held a copy of _Lady Chatterley's Lover_. "Shall I pour us some more wine and read it to you? Tell me where you left off."

" _Oh,_ _I knew it!_ " She snapped. "I couldn't find my book anywhere since that night you stole into my bathroom." Then she smiled wickedly. "Did…did you just offer to read it to me?"

"It would certainly be fun." He insisted.

It certainly would be, she thought. Yet, the most scorching blush burned her cheeks at the thought. "It's not an easy book to read with all that old English. Are you sure you won't just ruin the magic by speaking it aloud?"

"You don't give me enough credit and you also forget I am a master at old English, Integra. I can, and will not, destroy the 'magic' as you say." Alucard chastised.

Integra had to chuckle at how indignant Alucard sounded. "Alright then, pour the wine and read to me, vampire. But first, you sound hungry. Why don't you go get something real to eat before we continue? You know, in case things get a little heated again…"

"A woman after my own heart." The No Life King declared.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bad guys are plotting! And Alucard has terrible tunnel vision when he's hungry, no? HA! Integra can be a real troublemaker *blush* I hope you enjoyed the chapter! The next one is a continuation of this chapter and things will certainly get more heated between Master and Servant.
> 
> Next! Chapter 9: Push and Pull - Part 2. Seras continues her mission and Alucard reads to Integra and then some. *more blushing* Yes. The storytelling gets very hot, hotter than this chapter. I hope you're all up for it XD!
> 
> Many thanks to those that commented or kudo'd. You're amazing people! And a special shout out to anyone attending Anime North this weekend. Have fun!


	9. Push and Pull - Part 2

**St. Francis Hospital, London - August 7th, 6:17 p.m.**

Even after all that has happened in her life and un-life, being in a morgue should not feel so icky. Right? Yet, Seras didn't really like a place where actual dead people were kept for the sole purpose of ripping them up and removing their parts for analysis by humans that actually seemed to take pleasure in it. At least, that's how it always felt to her. Deep down she knew it was necessary for investigations but maybe it was just these surroundings. The morgue was always too quiet, as if the silence was tangible and hanging on to her like a thick blanket of creepy crawlies. Besides, the people working here were always so damn cheerful.

They were just plain creepy, kind of like funeral directors.

Seras wandered down the pristine white hallway and pushed through a pair of swinging doors that brought her to a large white room with multiple stainless steel examination tables. Only one out of three had a body underneath a white sheet. Next to the table was a hanging scale and trays with tools varying in size and shape but most made of metal. Along the walls were stainless steel countertops, sinks, and a dark green door on the left leading to the refrigerated section where bodies were kept cool in long, pullout drawers.

Seras could smell blood and disinfectant, the worst combination of odours for a vampire.

"Oh, good evening," said a portly man in a clean white lab coat and dark trousers in a rather sinister manner. Seated in a chair at a table at the far end of the room, he appeared to be in the middle of writing something on paper. He placed the pen down and stood up, walking over to her. "I was informed by Commissioner Roberts that you were coming to see our latest murder victim." He retrieved a pair of rubber gloves from his left front pocket and narrowed his beady dark eyes at her. "Aren't you kind of young to be a homicide detective?"

"Right, yes, good evening, sir," she replied, ignoring the question. "I'm here to investigate the deaths of Abby Gilford, Rosalie Yonge and Patricia Reed. Are you the coroner?"

A pair of bushy greying eyebrows, that matched the man's short salt and pepper hair, lifted. "I'm Dr. Aaron Porter, a board certified forensic pathologist, missy. I find it highly unusual to have the Police Commissioner calling me to inform that I must cease all actions on the victims clearly bitten by a vampire. To top it all off, the person they send is but a cute little girl herself."

The coroner's smile turned into a slimy perverse one.

 _Ugh, he's just a fat fucking pig like so many others I've come across._ Seras resisted the urge to gut him where he stood. Instead, she smiled and dug out a set of credentials Integra gave to her for these kinds of missions. "Is it not unusual to have a medical examiner staking the hearts of his patients?" She thrust the ID towards Dr. Porter and he gaped at it when he read that she was with the Hellsing Organization. "What do you know about vampires?

His demeanor changed dramatically. "I… I had no idea you were associated with _that_ organization, my apologies. I have met Integra Hellsing once before but this is the first time meeting you. I hope you don't mind me saying but you are a very attractive woman," he insisted with a small feeble chuckle, eyes wandering over her buxom form.

"Thank you but can we _please_ discuss the problem at hand." Seras reminded the doctor, her expression flat.

The doctor pulled on his rubber gloves while watching her. "I may be a man of science but sometimes there are occurrences that cannot be explained by mere science alone." He began. "Even though I believe there is most likely a science behind the supernatural it is not yet understood by mortal man, and perhaps it never will be while we are human. Our world holds a big secret, but that secret is getting out. Haven't you been following the news? Occultism is becoming a grander study, people need to learn more about what they fear, that is what makes us stronger, or, perhaps dumber." He twittered at his own joke. "Yet, fear is the trigger to survival, without it we would simply give up."

He stared right into her crimson eyes knowingly. Seras narrowed them wickedly.

"It is our duty to protect our race. It's our God forsaken right, unless… we want to see that maddening kind of devastation again." The doctor reminded.

"I understand, doctor, but let me assure you there are people working hard to protect the world from supernatural threats. People, like those who work for Hellsing. We don't want that kind of devastation again either. In fact, I don't want to see anything like that happen _ever_ again. So, let's find the vampire responsible for killing these young women so we can put a stop to him."

" _Him…?"_ questioned the doctor.

Seras actually started to blush. "I asked you what you knew about vampires, but you never clarified, Dr. Porter. You see… only a vampire of the opposite sex can change another person of the opposite sex into a vampire." She looked down at the floor and mumbled, "And the victim must be a virgin otherwise they become ghouls."

The strange smile that appeared on the coroner's face made Seras grit her teeth.

"I see. Clearly, I have jumped to conclusions when staking the hearts of our recent victims. I did not know that fact." Dr. Porter revealed and turned his head of neatly combed grey hair towards the table with a body beneath a sheet. "Would you like to see the latest victim?"

Seras would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her squirm. "Yes, let's get on with it," she said superciliously, her tone icy, a mannerism she picked up from Integra.

Again, the robust man, a head taller than the draculina, laughed to himself as he shuffled over to the table.

The doctor stood next to the head of the victim and pulled the sheet back, revealing an extremely pale naked corpse of a young woman in the early stages of womanhood. She had ginger hair, short and curly with freckles on her cheeks and on the tops of her shoulders. Her eyes were closed and lips blue, hands resting at her sides as if she were sleeping and dreaming of her crush at school.

"Ah, I see the bite marks," Seras stated and leaned in to look at the two small puncture wounds at the side of the girl's long thin neck. They went directly into the carotid artery, perfectly executed as if the vampire that did this was a veteran. "They definitely look real, no pretender did this."

Seras touched her own canine teeth with the tip of her tongue, but they were not elongated at the moment.

"Her autopsy revealed that she experienced all signs typical of hypovolemic shock. In layman's terms: she died of extreme blood loss." Dr. Porter explained. "The other two victims died the exact same way, which got me thinking that we have a bloodsucker on our hands."

"Certainly sounds like a bloodsucker to me," Seras retort sarcastically at the derogatory term he used for her kind. "Do you know if these girls lived close to each other?"

The doctor shook his head. "No, I didn't hear anything about that, but I did hear that two of them attended the same school. Not that that helps much."

"Can I see the other two cadavers?"

The doctor nodded and pulled the sheet back over the redheaded girl. "Follow me," he told Seras.

Together they made their way to the cold room where a stainless steel wall consisting of many drawers housed bodies. The doctor pulled out two other victims and Seras took a moment to examine both of them. These two women, clearly staked in the heart, also showed evidence of being cut open and examined by the fat doctor. There were sutures closing up the long incisions across their chests and abdomens.

Once again, there were indicators of a vampire bite.

"I believe I have seen enough. I can tell you just by seeing the new victim that she will not be turning into a vampire or a ghoul. So, there is no need to drive a stake into her heart. Thankfully, for their families they can have a nice funeral for all of them. It's… it's important to say goodbye. Thank you for your time. I must be on my way," Seras said and offered her hand to the doctor.

Grinning at the chance to touch a real life vampire, and a pretty one at that, Dr. Porter placed his hand into the blonde's eagerly.

With a devilish smile, Seras gripped his meaty hand and squeezed until his knuckles cracked, without breaking anything. "You have yourself a very pleasant evening, doctor."

The heavyset coroner gave a loud whine of distress, his eyes wide with terror now. "Ah! Good evening," he squeaked.

When Seras let go, the man was shaking and gaping at his hand. One of his fingers looked disjointed. She smiled and left the room, it was time she headed over to see the witness.

* * *

**Hellsing Manor, 7:10 p.m.**

_"It's no good trying to get rid of your own aloneness. You've got to stick to it all your life. Only at times, at times, the gap will be filled in. At times! But you have to wait for the times. Accept your own aloneness and stick to it, all your life. And then accept the times when the gap is filled in, when they come. But they've got to come. You can't force them…"_

Integra rest her head in the crook of Alucard's neck with his arm around her shoulders, twirling his single grey lock of hair idly around her finger as he read to her. His voice was deep, sensuous like red velvet drawn over her skin. Still curled up on his lap, the buttons of her shirt undone, scratches on her neck, a drop of burnt vampire blood on the silver cross that dangled on the untied cravat around her neck, Integra smirked to herself.

She forgot about the world. It was bliss.

A part of her needed and _demanded_ this reprieve from many years of torment. She had her Count back and she missed him so very much. "I understand this passage much better, especially now that you've returned," Integra murmured, interrupting the story.

"It's as if life is indeed made up of fate, is it not?" Alucard suggested. "As hard as we try to force what we desire, that desire comes to us when fate permits."

"Interesting," Integra answered, enjoying the idle conversation they had while evaluating the meanings of the book and about life in general. It was the sort of talk lover's partook in and she rather enjoyed it…her life being mostly devoid of such pleasantries. "And is fate equal to those that are human and non-human? Can fate be so cruel?"

"Then I should loathe fate," the nosferatu said with a breathy chuckle. "For it is cruel and tiresome and spiteful. But… it is also beautiful and unexpected, just like you."

"Like me…?"

"Like you, Integra. I firmly believe fate brought you to me, so how can I really hate it if it achieved such a vast wonder?" He kindly removed her spectacles and set them on his small table.

"Don't be silly, Alucard," Integra retort somewhat bashfully. "Behind my family name, I'm just a 'petty human' as you say. You have placed me to high on your pedestal. I cannot claim such a standard."

"That's where you are wrong. Take it from a man that has been at the top and thence fallen, no—who was _crushed_ beneath the boot heels of his enemies and countrymen alike. Where I have failed, you have flourished—that is why I have relinquished my desire to command and conquer."

Integra's finger ceased twirling. "Does it pain you to remember your past when it was once so brilliantly repressed?"

Alucard scoffed. "There was a time when I wouldn't have been able to have this conversation without feeling immeasurable rage, but now… my heart is much lighter, my past accepted. Is it hard to believe it took me over 500 years to realise the errors of my ways?"

"Oh, I don't know," Integra began with a diminutive smile on her face. "You seem a little hot-headed. I imagine even more so in your human time."

Alucard laughed outright, he laughed loud and full. "You know me well or perhaps I've become an open book over the years." He pretended to look innocent while he jested with her. She laughed and he grinned. "I have no fences in my way any longer. I am my own person, as long as I will it. It's something I haven't felt in hundreds of years."

She knew he was referring to all the souls that he had emptied from his being. "I greatly enjoy this person. He is a handsome fellow, he seems much more at ease then he did thirty years ago but he is still a little intense as always. He has so many dark secrets and he likes to bite now and then. What do I do about that?"

Integra played into his game.

"You should let him bite and join his world so you can be together always… you both could run naked in the rain like Connie and Mellors." The old vampire hinted with a mischievous expression, referencing _Lady Chatterley's Lover_.

The smile that spread across Integra's face was one of sinful delight. "You really are hopeless." Her cheeks burned hotly at the suggestion he made about the rain, yet it really was a very gratifying scene in the story. Integra never allowed herself that kind of personal freedom, not ever.

"Ask me anything, master, and I shall reveal my dark secrets," he purred and reached over for his glass of wine that sat next to an empty blood bag. "I must warn… you might not always enjoy the answers, however."

Integra thought about that and watched Alucard drink the wine. She watched his throat undulate as he swallowed and she imagined that is what it would look like if he drank her blood. For a moment, she was mesmerised and she reached over, drawing her finger along his windpipe delicately. A part of her yearned for it, for him to take her into his world, but another part screamed at her not to even think of such blasphemy. Integra was at a crossroad in the middle of nowhere.

"Tell me, my Count… if you could go back—knowing what you know now—would you have rather died or become a monster?" Integra asked the big question.

For a moment, Alucard merely stared at her before he sniffed with incredulity. "You sure don't ask the easy ones," he quipped darkly and told her. "If I could go back and do it all over again, then I would rather have perished and left my fate into the hands of God." Then he set his glass down, he set the book on Integra's midsection still open so not to lose the page, and used his free hand to tip her face up to look at him.

"I believe that fate would have reborn me into a human that someday would cross paths with you. That lucky bastard, too bad he was impatient."

It was hard to explain what Integra felt at that moment, but she suddenly found it hard to swallow. She felt a rare wave of emotion surge through her. "What a noble thing for you to say," she whispered unable to believe he had said something so utterly poetic and romantic. "You're a fool."

"Then I guess I'm a fool," Alucard professed and leaned down to capture her lips in a soft kiss.

Integra kissed him back with much passion while a tear spilled from her eye.

* * *

**London, 7:01 p.m.**

The neighbourhood where the latest victim, Abby Gilford, lived was a quaint suburban area of Maida Vale, London. There was a school nearby and a park, currently filled with kids and their parents during the last month of summer holidays. The two-story homes lining the road had lovely walkways in front and cars parked on the street. At the corner of Sutherland Ave, Seras turned down Randolph Ave, driving past a pair of iconic red telephone booths.

When she reached the address of the witness, she parked the car and got out, noticing a few reporters loitering around the walkway at the house next door. She pretended not to notice, glancing up at the pleasant brownstone house with three floors and many front windows belonging to the witness. Currently there was a woman looking out the window from the second floor, she looked right at her and waved at her to come up to the house. She appeared to be an elderly woman with snow-white hair all neatly curled on her head like tufts of cotton candy. The woman wore a simple blue skirt and a white short-sleeved sweater.

Seras smiled at her and made her way to the front door. She almost rang the bell but the door cracked open and the little old woman peered at her with her wrinkled old face.

"Are you the woman here to ask me about Abby Gilford's murderer?" She asked quietly. "A policeman telephoned me a few hours ago and told me you'd be stopping by."

"Yes, I'm here to ask you a few questions," Seras explained politely. "May I come in?"

The woman seemed a little hesitant at first as she studied Seras's face, her gaze lingering on her red eyes, but she relented and stepped aside. "I have put on some tea, would you like some?"

"Yes, please. That would be nice." Seras didn't much like drinking tea because she just didn't think about human food anymore. But she could tolerate it for the sake of appearance. Right now, she needed to act mortal.

Seras entered the house; glad the woman invited her inside. She entered the foyer, removed her shoes, and followed the woman over the wooden parquet floors that creaked in certain areas. The woman brought her upstairs to a sitting room with old furnishings, a salmon pink couch with wooden legs and a long white doily thrown over the back. There was an oval coffee table and a corded rug beneath it and the walls were soft blue. In the corner by a leafy potted plant was a matching salmon-coloured armchair, with a soft white blanket curled on the seat.

It would appear as if the old woman liked to sit here on a regular basis to look out the window.

"My name is Mary Ackerman, I'll be along in a moment with the tea," said the woman as she wandered off down the hall towards the kitchen.

Seras was still standing in the same place when the woman returned moments later with a tray holding a tall white teapot, two dainty cups with pink roses on them and a plate of biscuits.

"Thank you, Mrs. Ackerman. My name is Seras Victoria, by the way. It's a pleasure to meet you," the vampire acknowledged. "Have you lived here a long time?"

The elderly woman set the tea down on the coffee table and motioned with her hand for Seras to sit on the couch while she took a seat in the armchair. After they both sat Mary answered, "Oh my, yes, I've lived here for most of my life—sixty-eight years. I lost all my family due to the Battle of London though. At the time, I was on a business trip in Toronto. Came back to find my family gone and my house damaged but not enough to tear it down and rebuild, thankfully the damage was minimal."

"So you live here all alone?"

"I rent the upstairs and the downstairs. I prefer to keep the middle for myself. It's an easy income and the tenants here are decent and quiet," she said and took a sip of her tea. "So, you're investigating the death of that poor young girl? What a tragedy, she was such lovely girl and her parents were so proud of her. She was gifted in music and played the violin like nobody's business."

Seras looked down at her teacup, watching the steam curl up from the amber liquid inside. "I'm sorry to hear that but what did you see, it's very important that you tell me everything. Was it from this window?"

"Oh no," Mary replied, "It was from my bedroom window. Come—I'll show you." The woman set her tea down on the coffee table and urged Seras to follow her into a room down a small hallway.

The female nosferatu entered a simple bedroom with a double bed in the center with a soft purple spread. The wood floor creaked loudly as she passed the threshold of the room. To the left was a large rectangular window framed with ivory trimming and white transparent sheers.

When she looked out window, she gasped. "Why, you can see directly into the neighbour's bedroom."

"Yes and that bedroom belonged to Abby. It happened just last night around midnight." Mary said.

 _That was before I woke up Integra about the issue in Hampshire County, while Master was still out,_ Seras thought with dismay.

The old woman was still talking. "I heard the strangest noise, like a bird flying into the window next door, over and over again. I got out of bed to see what it was and to my surprise I saw a giant bat!"

_"A bat…?"_

"Yes, a bat. _A big one._ It seemed like it wanted to go inside the house." The old woman shuddered as if she was cold and rubbed over her arms gently. "Spooked, I decided to go back under the covers and tried to forget about it, but then… I heard the window open. The flapping sound stopped and then it was silent… it was _so_ silent it made me worry even more. So, I got out of bed again and peeked out the window and there inside Abby's room is a tall man with a red coat and red eyes—he was a handsome fellow actually. For a moment, I thought he looked right at me but I don't think he actually did. He had poor Abby up against him and it looked like he was biting her neck but the girl didn't make a sound, not a peep. I hurried to the phone and called the police and by the time they arrived, the man was gone. The window was still open and the girl was pronounced dead by the time paramedics arrived—said there was nothing they could have done to save her. They said it looked like she lost a lot of blood, but the craziest part… the bedroom was spotless!"

Seras swallowed a lump in her throat. "Can you describe this man's coat?"

Mary urged them to return to the living room. On the way there the old woman spoke. "It was red, red as an apple and something from the old days with ruffled shoulders. It hung down to his ankles. You don't see garments like that anymore, mostly on the telly."

When they resumed their seats, Seras gulped down the hot tea. It burned, but the heat felt good. "I'm very sorry you had to experience such a horrible incident," she told Mary Ackerman. "But I hope to put a stop to these crimes very soon. The person behind this will pay. They will pay _dearly_."

The certainty in Seras's voice gave the woman some comfort. "I really hope so, that man, or beast, or whatever he was deserves to be hung and shot. He will rot in Hell. Amen."

Seras grumbled under her breath. "Indeed, he will."

* * *

**Hellsing Manor, 8:00 p.m.**

_"She clung to him unconscious in passion, and he never quite slipped from her, and she felt the soft bud of him within her stirring and strange rhythms flushing up into her with a strange rhythmic growing motion, swelling and swelling till it filled her cleaving consciousness, and then began again the unspeakable motion that was not really motion, but pure deepening whirlpools of sensation swirling deeper and deeper through all her tissue and consciousness, till she was one perfect concentric fluid of feeling, and she lay the crying in unconscious inarticulate cries. The voice out of the uttermost night, the life!"_

Alucard resumed his reading of _Lady Chatterley's Lover_ and by now, Integra swelled with desire. After the small interlude of conversation and a few shared kisses, the notion to read some of the more erotic sections of the book came to mind.

It came to both their minds with great interest.

The nosferatu might be a powerful supernatural being but the way Integra squirmed against him was soon going to make him lose his mind. As he read the sensual words on the page, he added a few unconstrained sighs and groans of his own. The friction her bottom was causing was bringing him closer and closer to the peak.

To think how long it has been since he felt this kind of mindless lust, remnants of mortal lust that Integra managed to lure from him time and time again, that he thought about the people he cares for more than he thought about wars and fighting. The devil could whisper in his ear but nothing could sway him from this deliciously poisonous moment. Oh yes, mindless lust with someone you hanker for more than anything else in the entire universe was _perfect_.

And how effortless it was achieved.

All he had to do was hold Integra close to him reading a silly erotic tale and he was ready to _explode_. HA! He'd forgotten the more simple pleasures of mortality or immortality.

The sexual pleasure he was sharing with his beloved master now is much more passionate than it was thirty years ago. Mmm… yes, his mistress has bloomed, age has made her more fearless and open to new ideas. And it has made her incredibly horny. He liked this mature woman more, this woman who was not an innocent little waif any longer.

"Alucard…" Integra breathed against his neck, "Forget about the book and touch me, _please_."

He tossed the book aside like yesterday's newspaper, which landed on the floor with a soft thump. "Are you pleading for it, master? I want to hear you beg."

"Don't do this now, just do as I say."

"Have you learned nothing from that erotic tale, Integra? It is a two-way dance. Both must yield and give in to their passions." She shifted slightly and palmed over the swelling in his pants rhythmically. Bold creature! He moaned out with lesser authority than he had hoped for, "You must give in to me, master."

Integra chuckled at his expense. "What's the matter, vampire, did I catch you off guard?"

"You caught something but it wasn't my guard. I have nothing against begging, my master," Alucard insisted. "I beseech for you to continue—touch me if you dare."

It was a small victory of equality for him as she continued to stroke him over the fine material of his dark trousers. He closed his eyes to savour her touches, his body extremely sensitive, and her fingertips gripping the length of him precisely. It was hard to resist stopping her to unbutton and open his fly, but he did not want her to stop.

"If you stop now, I'll never forgive you," he murmured his body like molding clay beneath her hands.

It was like petting a cat, Alucard purred deeply. "Even I cannot be that cruel," Integra told him, "However, this position is awkward and my hand is cramping."

Alucard growled with frustration. "I have a solution to our dilemma. Stand up, get off."

For once Integra did not question his gruff order but climbed off his lap and awaited his solution. He got up as well and then pushed her down on his throne, firmly but gently enough. She stared up at him rather shocked as he shrugged out of his red coat, which landed on the floor in a heap. He gave her a feral grin as he descended on her. He knelt before her on his knees and roughly yanked down her trousers, pushing the material down her legs, but he did not take them off.

Then he ripped open what was left of her shirt, a few buttons went flying, ticking off the stone floor in aimless directions. He gazed at her all exposed on his chair like a ripe piece of fruit, juices flowing, ready to be savoured. Oh yes, and he would savour her.

"First, I'll have you begging and then I'll give myself to you," he claimed his tone fervent. It always took a little more effort to make a woman reach climax than it took a man, vampire or otherwise. At times, he could be honourable he thought with an indulgent twitter.

Integra quickly got over her feeling of modesty as Alucard filled her with his fingers, bringing her to a whole other level. His skilled tongue, those practiced fingers had her gripping the arms of the chair hard. It had her mewling out his name and a few choice curse words that had Alucard purring again as he tended to her desires.

And when she soared, he worked her harder until there was nothing left in her but calm, sheer unadulterated calm.

Alucard stood up once he was finished with her and thought about the possibility that she might finish him off with her mouth. They had yet to try such tactics and he wasn't sure she was ready for that sort of fun. Besides, he was so close that before he could even feel her hot breath against his skin, he'd lose it. Instead, he decided he was going to climb over her and rub himself against her bared breasts.

However, before he got the chance to do that, her hands were on him.

Alucard shot a glance down his front to see his mistress opening the front of his trousers. He was utterly astonished. When she took a hold of him with her long, thin fingers, his lips parted in rapture. "This time I will certainly not forgive you if you stop, Integra, my master," he hissed as she touched him.

Such warm hands.

Integra moved his ample length in her right fist and looked up at him, her sights enchanted by the ardent expression on his face. She laughed to herself with an inner serenity that he gave her moments ago. The stressful coils of her life were still unravelled. "Just be quiet and enjoy it, Alucard. Let me give you something in return."

He sighed deeply and tried not give into his release too quickly, distracting himself by unbuttoning his suit jacket. He sighed in rapture. Who knows how long it could be before she wishes to touch him again like this. He wanted to savour it and years of practice taught him how to stave it off, he pet one hand over her hair affectionately.

"You are always inspiring my passions, Integra," he assured his voice a little breathier than usual. "I beg that you put your lips on me. Taste me, master."

At first, Integra wrinkled her nose slightly at the idea. "I fear that I'll merely disappoint you with my lack of know-how. Like I said, just be quiet, servant."

Mum is the word. Alucard became silent but watched her with a hungry look in his eyes. It was hard to withhold his climax and he could feel himself getting ever so close no matter how much he tried. He resumed petting over her head, enjoying the softness of her hair, closing his eyes.

After a few delicious moments, something warmer than her hand, something wet glided along the length of him and his eyes snapped open to find Integra testing him with the tip of her tongue. His knees nearly buckled when she took him inside her hot mouth.

He could not hold it back.

"Integra don't!" He snarled out. However, Integra got a rude mouthful that the vampire could not stop.

Alucard actually felt a bit mortified and yet, tickled beyond anything in this world. He groaned with an infernal mix of release, amusement and pure awe. Integra looked up at him as if she were holding her breath and tenaciously swallowed a mouthful of blood, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

Now the vampire king laughed wickedly. "Oh, my master, you _are_ a treat! _A real treat._ " He proclaimed with his excitement.

"That," Integra said with a deadened stare, "Was utterly disgusting."

The No Life King was still howling with laughter. "I know I should apologise but I… I didn't have the heart to stop you. You knew it would be blood."

She knew, yes, but she didn't think he'd lose control like that and a prideful part of her couldn't reject him. "It doesn't matter… its part of who you are." Integra said but did not explain further. "It's only blood."

" _Only blood?_ It's _my_ blood," he reminded in spades. "Don't get angry with me if strange things happen."

"Like what?" Integra wondered and once again felt a tingle behind her eye patch. She knew very well what he was talking about but she would not give him the satisfaction that she felt anything.

He looked at her deviously. "Why should I ruin the fun?"

Integra stood up and scoffed. "Whatever," she muttered. "Play your games."

Alucard merely chuckled quietly now. He fixed his clothing while Integra fixed hers in silence, doing up the few buttons left on her shirt.

Once they were decent again, Integra poured herself a small glass of wine to rid the awful taste in her mouth. "Being around you gets me into certain trouble, Alucard." Yet, she looked at him and smiled cunningly. "Thank you."

Alucard grunted. "No need to thank me, master. You…" Just then, he stopped speaking and produced a lop-sided grin. "Ah, Lilith and Seras have both returned, and just in time. We were almost caught with our hands in the cookie jar."

Again, he chuckled low and full of menace.

Integra felt the pit of her stomach tighten with all the current troubles tumbling back to her mind. She wondered what Seras has learned this evening. She grabbed her eyeglasses and put them back on. "I must go. I have things to attend to," she told Alucard and set the wine glass down on the table. She reached over to touch his hand with her fingers, "Don't apologise for this evening. It was exactly what I needed."

With that, she wandered out of the room and headed for the stairs. Alucard watched her go marvelling at his future queen until she disappeared. _One day,_ he thought to himself. _One day you will be mine and we'll have all the time in the world._

Feeling rather buoyant at the moment, he picked up his phone and checked the time. "Excellent, I can't think of a better way to spend the rest my evening."

He vanished a breath later.

* * *

 

Lilith Medrea smiled as she saw Integra walking down the hall towards her bedroom. It was apparent that the other woman had engaged in some kind of activity for her suit was rumpled and her hair dishevelled. Perhaps she had been practicing her sword.

"Good evening, Sir. Is… is everything alright?"

"Yes of course it is." Integra found herself snapping, wondering why the woman was suddenly asking her that. Was it written all over her face that she just gave Alucard a blowjob?

The other woman looked taken aback for a moment. "Err… you just seemed kind of preoccupied. I'm sorry. I'll leave you to it then."

Integra sighed. "No, that's alright. I'm just tired and in desperate need of a shower." And a good tooth brushing.

Suddenly Seras appeared like a red flash. "Master, we need to talk," she said with exasperation and then realised Lilith was standing nearby. She turned to look at her and chuckled uneasily. "Sorry, Ms. Medrea but I have something important to discuss with my master."

"That's fine, Ms. Victoria. I'm rather bushed from this evening so I think I'll just retire to my room now." Lilith replied.

Integra did not like the sounds of Seras tone. "Come along, Seras. We can talk in my bedroom while I'm brushing my teeth."

"Um… sure thing, Sir," Seras replied with a puzzled face. "But why is it so important to brush your teeth right now? You were eating garlic, weren't you?"

Integra strolled down the hall and Seras chased after her. "You ask too many questions, Seras."

"Goodnight both of you," Lilith said politely and turned away from them, leaving them to their own devices. The redhead entered her room and shut the door quietly. She closed her eyes while placing her fingertips to the side of her head. She channeled her energy, which spread throughout the mansion in search of something.

She opened her eyes and smiled wickedly. "It could not plan out any better than this," she said as she dug into her purse and extracted her mobile. Lilith punched in a phone number. When a male voice answered, she said.

"Big Red has left the building... Do it. And make it _good_ this time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The true purpose of Lilith should not come as a surprise and I never intended her to be one really. It's what this character does throughout the story that's important and you shall see later on. I wasn't subtle with choosing her name at all and I applaud those that recognised her name to be of something sinister lol! That's cool! I do my research. At least, I try anyhow lol! Still, though, I love the name Lilith and it always makes me think of the woman from the old TV show Frasier XD! Don't judge. Haha.
> 
> Err... Alucard couldn't help it. XD!
> 
> Err... Integra was too damn stubborn not to spit it out XD! What can I say lol!
> 
> However, every action in this fic happens for a reason. Well, mostly. Everyone has different theories about how things work with vampires and yes, I have followed that idea that vampire blood heals but I have it that it takes more than one drop to fully change things. I haven't strayed from the Hellsing vampire rules. I just expanded on them or filled in the blanks in my own way. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
> 
> Next. Chapter 10: Dracula Returns to London. News footage shows Alucard attacking a young woman and it's all over London. Something foul is at play and Integra gets to the bottom of it. Alucard makes a few revelations.


	10. Dracula Returns to London

**Maida Vale, London - August 8th, 12: 01 a.m.**

The young women in this particular neighbourhood were just too tasty to pass up. Their sweet young blood was like discarded candy to an army of ants or a buffet to a bloodthirsty vampire. Tonight's candy was texting on her phone with her girlfriend, rather than sleeping soundly as her parents thought, lying on her stomach on the bed, swinging her feet to and fro. The white glow from the phone illuminated her face, showing her to be a pretty thing with a nice complexion and straight honey blonde hair.

_"Open the window, pretty girl… open the window and let me come taste you."_

The girl suddenly glanced up from her phone. Her eyes went to the window.

_"That's right. I'll make you feel beautiful and immortal, but you need to let me inside. Come on, open the window…"_

As if in a trance, the girl set down her phone slowly and climbed out of her bed. She wore a tracksuit she liked to sleep in, a pair of black sweats and a purple tank top. A part of her did not know why she was moving across her room towards the window, and yet, another part of her could not stop herself from doing so.

" _Yesss… that's right—unlock the window and invite me in."_

The girl did as she was compelled to do. She opened the window and allowed a tall red-clad man inside.

Across the way, on the rooftop, the girl did not see the figure of a person lying in a prone position, recording the entire thing. The camera captured every grim detail as the vampire attacked her.

"Ha ha! Gotcha. You asshole…"

* * *

**Hellsing Manor - August 8th, 12:13 p.m.**

"This is a goddamned nightmare!" Integra hollered as she watched Channel 9's current news footage on the screen of her laptop. A moment ago, she received a call from Sir Hugh Iron's who told her to turn on the news.

He did not sound impressed.

Seras was peering over Integra's shoulder watching with equal horror at the images on the screen. There before her eyes was footage of Alucard drinking some poor girl's blood like a savage monster.

Then, it got worse.

This time he did not simply drink the girl's blood until she died but he _shared_ his blood with her, biting into his wrist and forcing her to choke down bouts of his cursed blood. When it was all over, the girl collapsed into the man's arms and he picks her up and jumps out the window with her… disappearing into the night.

It was out there for the entire world to see.

Integra nearly smashed her fists into her laptop but managed to stop herself. She shook them full of rage, dropped them to her sides, and gave up with a deep sigh. Losing her cool would not help the situation. Instead, she fished a cigar out of the package with trembling fingers.

Seras was kind enough to light the thin cigar for her.

Lilith timidly entered the room and approached the Hellsing director's desk. "The phone is ringing off the hook, Sir. A couple of them are journalist's that insist they know that the vampire on the news belongs to the Hellsing Organization. There is also a lot of Internet traffic about this, especially between all those church groups and occult societies. They are having a hay day and have marked Alucard as their number one most wanted vampire."

"Bloody rats!" Integra hissed.

"The other calls are members of military—we even got a call from His Majesty's man in charge of media relations. I told them you would call them back as soon as possible. I'm not sure how you want to handle this situation," Ms. Medrea said clearly and evenly.

She appeared completely unruffled by the entire thing.

"Thank you Lilith, you did good to tell them that. Right now, I need to have a word with Alucard, first and foremost. I cannot answer anyone's questions until I do so. You may leave and resume your duties." Integra instructed, getting up from her desk. She wandered over to the windows and gazed out at the beautiful blue sky that seemed to be mocking her with its tranquility.

"Yes, Sir," the woman replied obediently and hurried from the room with a smirk on her face.

Seras stood by Integra's chair with her blonde brows furrowed deeply. "Shall I leave as well, Integra? Do you want to be alone with Master?"

"No. You stay." Integra retort and then she added without turning around, eyes still looking over the grounds of the manor. "Again, I'm grateful of the information your unearthed yesterday in your search. Just remember what we discussed last night. Promise me, in case it ever comes to that. Promise to do as we discussed?"

"Of course," the draculina answered right away, "I promise, Integra, my master."

* * *

_"ALUCARD!"_

The vampire king was jolted out of his peaceful sleep as if someone drove a dozen blessed blades through his heart. He nearly smashed his face off the top of his coffin lid when Integra's voice pierced through his head with the precision of an ice pick.

It was too early for this racket.

Yet, for her to make that kind of racket meant something was up. Maybe something was wrong. Begrudgingly, he pushed aside his kingdom's lid and crawled out, groaning like an injured animal.

_"ALUCARD GET YOUR ASS UP HERE NOW!"_

All of the sudden, The No Life King was not sure he wanted to leave the safety of his coffin. Integra seemed really, _really_ pissed. Her anger seemed directed towards him. It was rare for him to feel such apprehension, but if he did not go, she would only get louder. Needing his sunglasses at this god-awful hour of the day, he slipped them on before teleporting himself to Integra's office.

At first, all he saw was Integra's back to him as she stood looking out the window with her long blonde hair covering half of her slim body and Seras behind the desk with her arms crossed over her large bosoms, sniffling as if she was on the verge of tears.

"How could you, Master?" Seras wailed at him as two bloody tears did in fact, leak out of her eyes. "Please tell me it wasn't you."

Sleepily, Alucard looked over at her completely baffled. "What are you squawking about, Seras? What is going on? I was having this crazy dream with Willis again. I'm positive one of my bullets actually grazed his bald head and—"

"That's enough!" Integra finally clamoured, cutting him off. She turned around.

Alucard's brows lifted behind his glasses. "My, don't you look as radiant as always, my master." Her complexion was a little bit smoother today. There were a few less wrinkles and more blonde in her hair. She still wore that dratted eye patch, however.

But if looks could kill, he'd be fried duck.

 _"Whaat…?"_ Alucard asked restlessly, picking up a nasty vibe in the room. "Are you upset about what we did yesterday? I told you I didn't do it on purpose! Man or beast, I have my limitations and I was all pent up. You could have spit it out."

Seras's eyes widened at that and she coughed politely into her hand. "Um… I'm still in the room," she sing-songed with awkwardness.

"You idiot, this is not about what happened between us!" Integra stormed at him. "This is about what the hell you've been doing traipsing around London night after night. Look!" She moved over to the desk and turned the laptop around for him to see. "Take a good look, vampire… they're headlining it: _Dracula Returns to London_. How fitting… how bloody damn fitting!"

"Pfft! That book was a load of fiction and not entirely based on facts, honestly," Alucard grumbled with a roll of his eyes. Then he watched the newsreel with a complacent expression. When he realised what the problem was with everyone he grunted pathetically. "You don't actually _believe_ that this piece of garbage video is of me, do you?"

"If it's not then who is it? Seras tells me you have been leaving the mansion. Coming and going at will. Alucard, I _warned_ you." Integra told him, her expression stony. "I warned you that using that new power could bring about consequences."

Alucard shot a look at his fledging. "Gee, thanks, Police Girl."

"What do you expect me to do, Master? You won't tell us where you've been going and now this is happening… I _had_ to tell Master Integra the truth." Seras exclaimed as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Alucard, but this time you have to fess up."

Integra sighed before she spoke. "Each night that you have been out gallivanting a girl was murdered, sucked dry of her blood. Now the entire country is calling for your head on a plate. The fanatics are rallying and occult squads with their holy hunters are gathering to start vampire hunts—this entire issue is going to make our other investigation that much harder. And we still don't know what organization is behind all that. Now that church group in Hampshire with their Holy Hunters will bury themselves in the fray. They are going to hunt for you, Alucard. Does it all sound familiar?"

"If you mean like it happened over a hundred years ago, you're wasting your breath. I told you that I relinquished my desires to command and conquer. Did my words mean nothing to you, Integra Hellsing? Does your blind mistrust in me make you feel that?" Alucard sneered. "If I told you it wasn't me, do you believe it?"

"I don't know what to believe anymore, servant!"

Alucard growled low in his throat. He was beyond angry. He was disappointed.

"Master, just tell us where you've been then—make it right," Seras pleaded. "Please tell us you haven't killed those girls. Please tell me that the witness I spoke to yesterday didn't actually see _you_ in Abby Gilford's bedroom."

"And what happens to that girl in the video from last night," Integra began with a softer, sadder tone. "She's going to turn into a vampire by the looks of it and her body is missing, how convenient."

"I will say it once again— _it wasn't me._ That punk on the news is an imposter, a pretender who happens to look like me." The old vampire said ever so calmly.

"Prove it," Integra demanded.

"Fine, you want me to prove it," Alucard retort as he dug into the inside pockets of his red duster. "I'll prove it." He approached the desk and placed his Casull on top of the surface. He threw some bullet casings into the mix along with an extra magazine.

Integra took a long drag of her cigar as the pile of weaponry and ammunition grew bigger and bigger. One blond eyebrow lifted when he added a fragment grenade, his cell phone, an empty blood bag, and two more magazines for his gun plus a pair of black lace panties to the collection.

"Are those my…"

"Don't act so shocked, Integra," he murmured and finally threw a handful of wrinkled scrapes of paper to the top of the pile. "There, take a look. Read the times and dates."

"Of what, those tiny pieces of paper?" Seras wondered as she reached over to unravel one of the papers. Her crimson eyes grew big and round, she immediately recognised what it was. "They're movie stubs from the cinema. This one is dated August 5th."

 _"What?"_ Integra reached over and opened another one, reading the title aloud. " _Jesus Loves Monster Trucks."_ The expression on her face was beyond description when it returned to look at Alucard who stood there watching her with his mangy bed head and orange glasses.

"It was a great movie, the main guy is unstoppable and has this ninja power he learned from his sensei that dies when all these bad guys raid their peaceful village. They had these awesome trucks and battled..." Alucard ceased his summary of the movie and held out his gloved hands in defeat. He shrugged. "It was just one of those stories that kind of stays with you."

"This stub is dated August 6th and the film played at the same time as the second victim's time of death." The Hellsing woman opened all the other movie stubs and released a heavy tiresome groan. "Seras place your barrier around the three of us right now, remove Pip from the mansion. _Do it_." She commanded. "I don't want a single soul spying on us."

"Yes, Master Integra," Seras replied and pressed her white-gloved hands together in front of her face, fingertips on her lip. She focused carefully and an eerie encroaching sound began to approach the office.

"Finding it difficult to trust anyone… not even your new assistant?" Alucard inquired with a scoff.

Integra glanced at him as she bit down harder on the cigar between her teeth, nearly biting the end off. She remained silent because right now she trusted no one.

Alucard watched, as the interior of the room became an enclosure consisting of a swirling red and black mass of shadow. It reminded him of his own control over shadows and he was impressed with how well Seras managed them, too. Now that he has shown her how to repair her body properly using this dark magic, a power unique to his bloodline, she was well on her way to becoming an even greater vampire. All around him, he could feel Pip's presence grow more complete as the shadows all gathered in this one room, creating a shield from the rest of the world.

" _Bonjour!_ What is this, a secret meeting, _ma chérie_?" asked the Frenchman, whose voice echoed all around them in their dark enclosure.

"I guess you could call it that," Seras replied.

"Oh, hello there, Integra and Alucard," Pip said.

"It's been a while, Mr. Bernadotte, but while you are here I must warn that what we are about to discuss goes no further. Do I make myself clear?" Integra warned. "Seras will give you further instructions later."

" _Oui_ , I shall keep it zipped." He promised.

"I guess you finally realise that someone is trying to sabotage me," Alucard muttered, sounding extremely bitter. "It still pains me to see how easily you jumped to conclusions, or how you've kept this from me and investigated the situation as if I was a common criminal. You're burning doubt weighs heavily on my heart."

Seras wiped her tears away quietly and let her masters have a moment.

"You're right, Alucard." Integra answered wretchedly, she dropped her cigar and crushed it out beneath her shoe. "For a moment, I truly believed you became the monster you once were. I believed it because believing that you have changed for the better seemed so… impossible. I felt like I was entering a snare, eschewing my mortal duty led by my feelings for you. Surely, I didn't want to fall into that heinous trap. I did not want to become that ultimate disgrace in the name of my honourable family, a family built on reputation."

Her gaze hardened.

"However, I was incredibly wrong. I fell from grace in an entirely different way, in a way more dishonourable than upsetting people that have been dead for decades—I doubted you. I doubted the _one_ thing that has always been the most loyal to me no matter what." She looked over at the draculina for a moment with a grateful smile. "Except for Seras perhaps." The female nosferatu blushed bashfully at her and Integra nodded respectfully before she returned her gaze back to the king of vampires.

"Will you ever forgive me, Alucard?"

Alucard went from looking grumpy to astonished, releasing a profound chuckle that filled their dark space like mischievous spirits. He removed his glasses, approached his master with a flourish and knelt dramatically on one knee before her, just as he had once when in his Prince Vlad form or when he first met Integra in the bowels of this mansion.

"How could I ever remain cross at my beloved master, the woman who inspires my own existence? You were only following the advice of your father and I cannot fathom a more difficult struggle than the one you fight because you are a Hellsing. But now…" His crimson eyes glanced up at her with wonder shimmering within them. " _Now…_ you are following your own instincts. The years of life has made you stronger and has not let your ancestral pride cloud your judgement. Oh, I have waited for this." His chuckle became ever so menacing. "My castle is nearly complete."

"Master!" Seras cheered and launched herself at his back and clung to him like a koala bear with an awkward hug. "I'm so glad you aren't the perpetrator. I'm so sorry I ever doubted you even one tiny bit, but that man on TV looks _just_ like you."

Integra smirked at the spectacle before her, feeling an enormous weight lifting off her shoulders. These vampires. These people. Somewhere inside she knew this was her family now. They were all she had left and she knew she would do anything in her power to protect them.

"Alucard, I want to know the precise limitations of your powers. Clearly you are beyond the restraint my family has created for you all those years ago. We must first understand each other entirely if we are to go into any sort of battle," she advised. "We must be prepared."

Alucard rose to his feet, shrugging Seras off him like an annoying child. The female vampire only giggled and stepped to the side, next to her two masters.

He placed the sunglasses inside his coat. "Having cleansed myself of those millions of souls that were clouding my mind and my identity, I no longer have restrictions, master. Your ancestors were able to restrict those millions of souls within me, allowing me to function coherently even when I used level 1 strength," he reminded her.

"So those seals have broken?" Integra wondered.

"Shattered, they no longer exist. I can use any level of power I wish on demand but without the—"

"—psychotic behaviour?" Integra suggested frivolously.

Alucard's lips curled into a grin at her facetious dig. "You forget that I'm a monster, Integra, that bloodlust is born within me and if you ever choose to join me in this afterlife you'll understand it for yourself one day. In the meantime, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm fully aware of who I am on each level and I, or yourself, do not have to unlock them with a command."

He proved it by shifting effortlessly into his black straitjacket form, his long, slender body accentuated by the tight-fitting suit consisting of many black leather straps. His raven hair was long and flowing in this form, he looked a lot younger, too, and he smirked down at Integra as her gaze travelled over him.

She let out a sniff.

He continued. "Since it comes with the territory, I can take on many forms of animals or even fog, but you already know about those powers. My great regenerative qualities remain intact and even more so now that I am a ubiquitous being, as long as I believe myself to be unharmed, that is so. I cannot summon familiars since I have none and I cannot accumulate too many souls or then I may lose myself again…"

He saw the way Integra's lips parted with concern.

"But that doesn't matter. I'll just kill them off so I won't be disappearing again anytime soon." He assured her and emphasised it with a nonchalant shrug. Then he smirked at her as a new idea came to mind and he changed his form again, but this time as the brawny Impaling Prince decked out in his medieval armour and shaggy long black hair.

Seras chuckled this time. "The moustache is back."

Integra could not help but stare up at him. He was so much more imposing in this form, raw and human looking. His eyes were an innocent blue and she nearly got lost in them, as if they had leagues of stories to tell within them. She was sure they did. "I see. You have proven your point, Alucard. Level zero, was only something I could order you to unlock. Now that you stand here before me like this and there is no swarm of undead creatures… I believe what you say to be true. Is there anything else I should know while we're cleaning out your closet?"

"No, that covers the important stuff," he answered his moustache shifting as he smiled. "Shall I put on the accent for you, master? You see that I speak to you now without one." Alucard said and explained, "Because I am in control of my present identity, not my past one."

"It brings me some comfort to hear you say that. With or without an accent," she teased dryly. "Now, how about you stop with the theatrics, Count. We still have to figure out what the hell is going on and who is behind it."

"Isn't it obvious?" Alucard stated with one hand over the other on the hilt of his broadsword that stood on the floor, his gauntlet-covered arms outstretched before him. "Someone's been watching our little freak-hunting organization, and the first clue, was the severed finger with the tattoo of The Evil Eye on it. That is where _I_ warned _you_ , Integra. The Eye was a symbol of forewarning. Then there is the mad ritual where a group of fanatics burn vampires led by more people connected to the Eye. I suspect this group is behind this charade, who knows who is all involved."

"What about Lilith?" the short blonde-haired vampire suggested quietly."She's new and maybe she can't be trusted."

Integra considered the idea. "We will definitely increase our guard, but she did arrive _after_ the first girl was attacked by our look-alike Dracula."

Alucard scoffed at Integra's use of his past title and family name buried by the ashes of time. "I'd like to point out again that someone has been watching Hellsing prior to her starting here, as we suspect Mr. Yarwood scouted the manor and possibly alerted someone of my return. It still does not rule her out but I have felt nothing suspicious in her dealings here at Hellsing."

Integra pressed a few fingers between her brows. "There is a grand scheme at hand and whatever it is that someone hopes to achieve, I do not know."

"Getting me into trouble ultimately hurts Hellsing or you, perhaps I had poor timing with my late return," Alucard proposed. "Maybe their plot started long before my homecoming."

Seras and Integra glanced at one another.

"Either way, we must continue our investigations as usual," Seras suggested with a firm nod. "And find out who is supporting these Hunters."

"Exactly," Integra agreed. "For now, we cannot let anyone know that we're suspicious. Make nothing obvious so we can flush out the culprits and strike them down at the source. Because they will make a mistake somewhere along the way… they always do."

Alucard's red eyes flashed with anger. "I want to find the dog who is impersonating me, it's incredibly offensive." He complained harshly, returning to his regular form in his preferred red coat, black suit and tall riding boots. "When I make a vampire it is with _much_ more class than that."

"Is that so?" Integra mused as she watched Alucard's moustache disappear and his hair shorten to its regular length. "Perhaps you should cease your obsession with the cinema, in fact, I order you to stay home until this all of this blows over. It could serve you well to read a book instead, at least until we put a stop to this doppelganger of yours."

"Reading books has a whole new meaning to me, master." Alucard hinted at wickedly. "As long as I can read them to you, this is. I'll leave you in charge of choosing the wine next time."

" _Oh, la, la_ ," spoke the Frenchman. "I like where this is going. Alucard, _mon ami._ I never knew you could be such the romantic gentleman or… perhaps, you are using your Love Beam on her, too?"

Seras turned a hot shade of pink.

"' _Love beam'_ … do I dare ask?" Integra questioned with prudence.

"The Frenchman is delusional." Alucard pointed out evenly. "He has taken the vampiric art of hypnotising out of context."

"Oh, I dunno about that, _monsieur_ ," the ex-mercenary claimed.

The Hellsing director wore a smug look. "Listen, now is not the time for your debauchery, vampire. Or yours either for that matter, Mr. Bernadotte."

"Yeah, you two are being ridiculous." Seras pointed out, hands on her hips. "Now is not the time for flirting with Sir Integra, Alucard."

"Seras!" Integra chided with embarrassment.

Alucard ignored them. His features grew darker. "I won't let anything happen to you, my Queen. They will have to kill me first and… I'd _really_ like to see them try."

The two women stood watching as the vampire king took a moment to laugh his evil manic laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you had some giggles as the plot moves along. I dunno about you but the whole gun spirit thing in Hellsing is a riot and I couldn't resist including some of that into this fic. And what is Integra up to? I have theories about Alucard's powers 30 years later and this is the result of those ideas. I read somewhere an interview with Kouta Hirano, the creator of Hellsing, where he claims that the Hellsing family put restrictions on Alucard so he wouldn't be so insane because millions of souls were clouding his true mind. It gave me ideas. So I believe that he's more clear-headed 30 thirty years later. Funny interview btw. Just Google Kouta Hirano Interview and it should be the first link that pops up.
> 
> Next. Chapter 11: The Vatican Misfits. Integra introduces a novel idea to the Convention of Twelve and makes a dire promise. Hellsing is visited by two Iscariot.
> 
> Thanks for reading! I hope you all continue to enjoy! Thanks for the kudos :)


	11. The Vatican Misfits

**Military Headquarters - London, August 12th, 9:56 a.m.**

The vibe coming from the Convention of Twelve members, who all sat around the table, was stifling. There was a knot of tension between Integra's shoulders but she hid the stress well behind her mask of iron will. She couldn't blame the poor sods because what she just finished telling them was difficult to swallow. Holy Hunters. Vampire burning rituals. The Watcher's assassination at the police station. Doppelgangers.

As for Megan Blackwood, no one has seen or heard from the girl since she appeared on the news, bitten by a vampire by the look-alike Alucard four days ago. Her parents remain worried and scared for their daughter, their public appeal for her safe return seen by half the country. The unsettling part of the entire thing was that the media and public were eating up the stories like an uncontrollable drug addiction. It was near impossible to stop the footage, streamed on nearly every possible outlet all over the world.

In less than twenty-four hours, Alucard became public enemy _numero uno_.

"This is getting out of hand," Walden Blackensfield proclaimed as he mopped at his brow in his exasperation with his handy blue handkerchief. "Why haven't you put a stop to this yet, Integra?"

"And what is the meaning of ordering a press conference? What exactly do you plan to tell them, Sir Hellsing? We are already up to here…" Mr. Morgan held a pudgy freckled hand above his head of wavy ginger hair, "…in hot water. Mr. and Mrs. Blackwood want answers about their missing daughter."

While being bombarded by heated questions, Integra sat with her elbows on the table, hands at her chin while a cigar smoldered away between her white-gloved fingers. "And we shall give them answers. Gentlemen, I assure you we are working night and day to locate the culprits behind those videos. I have already given you a rundown of all the events leading up until now. As for the press conference, I'm hoping you will aid me in the revelation of an anti-freak squad supported by the government. In light of the current public attack, I believe we owe Mr. and Mrs. Blackwood this kind of response. I have Lilith here who has written up a statement in the chance we can all agree."

Lilith, who was standing behind Integra's chair, nodded her tidy redhead politely holding up the black leather folder in her hands. The men in the room glanced over at the smartly dressed no-nonsense looking woman.

"You _must_ be joking," Sir Hugh Irons Islands muttered stiffly.

"I assure you this is no joke. Forget about Hellsing as an organization for a moment and picture a government-run squad of men and women swearing duty to protect England from paranormal monsters. Imagine an elite squad no longer hiding behind the shadows of bureaucracy. It is time we give the public such an organization… the world _needs_ it. The lone hunters out there need to know that with structured teamwork we will hunt these freaks down and protect our people. Isn't that what our government should be doing?"

" _That's insane!_ Integra Hellsing, you've lost your bloody mind!" Mr. Morgan shouted, turning red in the face, which matched the colour of his hair and moustache.

Integra remained eerily calm. "No, it is _you_ that has lost your nerve, your will to _fight_. As long as I'm alive I will continue to fight. The public has no one to lead them in their fight against monsters and someone needs to enter the front lines. I will do it. I will head this anti-freak squad myself. We need to protect the innocent citizens from becoming pawns to ruthless gangs and organizations that have little interest in hunting monsters and more interest in gathering muscle and profits for their own criminal activities."

"That might be true, but it will make you vulnerable." Alastair Kershaw warned. "You shouldn't run so heedlessly into battle. Sometimes those fighters are simply used as cannon fodder."

Integra narrowed her good eye at the blond-haired man, and for a moment wondered if any of these men were traitorous bastards behind the events unfolding. It was so hard to trust anyone these days. "Are you implying that I will fall into a puddle and drown like a lemming, Mr. Kershaw? I've been running a full force of men and women for nearly thirty-seven years, I know _exactly_ what I'm doing. I will even use some of my men to safely train willing individuals how to properly dispose of a freak and how they might protect themselves—I have already been granted permission by His Majesty himself."

"King Charles! You spoke with him?"

The blonde Hellsing leader glanced over at Mr. Penwood who just blurted that out. "Yes, the King himself believes it is time to educate our citizens on the subject of the paranormal, it is no longer a topic that we can ignore. Gentlemen, the Knights of the Round are still protected, along with the Hellsing Organization."

Sir Hugh Irons scoffed and sat back in his chair with a haughty look. "I really hate to point this out at the hazard of sounding crass, Sir Integra, but you are gracing fifty years of age. Why take all this on now? Wouldn't you rather retire in twenty years or so and enjoy the rest that you deserve?"

"As I said, I will fight while I still breathe— _do not_ bury me so quickly, Hugh." Integra offered arrogantly. She severely extinguished her cigar in the ashtray amongst the other squashed out cigars. "Must I remind you all the basic reason for a secret society? Societies or organizations such as Hellsing for example existed in the past to preserve knowledge and allowed us to work in ways behind the power of the church. In those dark times, the church ruled everything, but it is not that way anymore. We will not be placing Galileo under house arrest simply because he claimed the Earth revolved around the sun."

"Again you make a valid point, Integra. However, giving the public an anti-freak force might backfire on them and us. You've said so yourself that, the best line of defense is to fight monsters with more powerful monsters," Gregory Penwood tried to reason. "What if it is more than we can handle?"

"And for those types of situations we still have the Hellsing Organization. Look, in these times of advancing technology you know better than I do that we cannot really keep societies like ours a secret forever, so why not divert that attention away from us and place it on something tangible like a sector completely devoted to protecting the public. We will use the public to help us in our removal of violent monsters. The people dislike rich secret organizations run by money, they know there is a much higher percentage for corruption on our part and it's time we gave the people a reason to stand with us, not against us. We _need_ to gain the support of our people. Think of this anti-freak squad as a political tactic for now."

"She's right," Robert Walsh finally chimed in and offered, looking over his glasses, "England isn't in the dark ages anymore. Those times are long past us. With all that has happened in the last thirty years the people are crying out for a revolution. I don't want it to come to that, but it will, if we don't start doing something."

"Exactly," Integra agreed, giving Rob a thankful nod. "The church is becoming more powerful again and not necessarily for the right reasons, there is an infection among them at the moment and I suspect it has something to do with this shadow Eye organization, who, by the way, has managed to stay secret and keep completely hidden from us. If the church keeps gaining these Holy Hunter supporters, they could become a militia that will eventually clash with us, and I will not stand here and wait for them to build their strength as Millennium did. I will do _whatever_ it takes to put a stop to them."

The men around the table clearly stiffened at the mention of that Nazi group.

Sir Robert Walsh quietly puffed on his cigarette, the smoke swirling around his wrinkled old face and red beret for a moment before saying. "I agree with you that we need to fund this new organization seeing as we need one right now, not fifty years from now— _right now_. But I don't believe Integra should be manning this new anti-freak squad, I think Mr. Penwood should do it. He's the Vice Admiral of the Royal Navy. Why, this is a perfect position for him and it will boost the morale of our citizens and their government. If you run this sort of squad, Integra, you will eventually have to answer for Hellsing and of your connections _and_ of the two vampires in your service. I do not think it will work out in your favour or ours. It's time the government steps up to work alongside Hellsing."

Gregory Penwood was making a strange squeaky sound as he pointed to himself. "W-what me…?"

"Yes, you, Penwood, you have your father's ferocious blood coursing through your veins, blood of a noble leader. This new squad could simply be a branch of the military—it will only be used when it is needed and right now, _it is needed_. At least until this mess is smoothed over with that… that animal on the loose killing those young women," Mr. Walsh claimed with despair and a heavy sigh.

Mr. Penwood seemed to think it all over begrudgingly.

"I believe that is a splendid idea, Robert," Integra agreed wholeheartedly. "He can take care of the press conference, too. I didn't imagine we would be focusing on a government-run freak squad until Hellsing was finished but the circumstance does not permit it. Tell me is the annual London Opera Ball still on tomorrow night?"

Sir Irons would have rolled his eyes at her if he weren't so proper. "Why of course, Integra. This horrid situation will not hamper the festivities. It's tradition and many influential people will be attending, you must come and show your support. I believe I mentioned this to you on the phone a couple of days ago," he said raising one dubious light-coloured brow at her.

"I'll be bringing my young Juliet who is debuting this year," Mr. Morgan tossed in proudly. "My wife and daughter always look forward to this ball. So much so, I fear they won't shut up about it." He laughed and a few others chuckled along with him, nodding with understanding about their own daughters or wives that they will be bringing along with them, too.

Integra contained her groan. She hated opera, balls, and all the pompous rigmarole that went along with it. It was hard to believe such traditions still took place in England. Although, she did have a noble duty to attend these functions and she would do so like a proper English woman. "Then I will see you all there but do not be surprised if there are protesters dampening the evening."

"Psh! We get them every year and this year won't be any different," assured Mr. Morgan with his chin held high. "Now can we get back to the topics at hand? I have other important meetings on my itinerary today and it seems like a lot more with this whole anti-freak unit we're considering doling out."

"Right then, so what of your vampires, Integra? What does Alucard have to say for himself?" Mr. Blackensfield wondered, asking the elusive question everyone else was too hesitant to ask. "This is the _second_ time he's gotten his fifteen minutes… no one here wants to remember what he did the first time in Rio de Janeiro. I am beginning to doubt the rigidity in which you hold their leash. You claim that those videos are falsified and untrue. You claim that the vampire in them is not Alucard. How can you be so sure?"

The impatient faces of the other board members all stared at her accusingly. All except Rob Walsh who sat back in his chair with a slouch and puffed on his cigarette attached to an ornate tortoise shell holder. It appeared as if he was tired of listening to this room of buffoons, too.

"I _know_ those vampires' that is how I know," she replied impatiently. "They are not a threat. I have already explained that there is someone out there working against us. Their goal, however, remains a mystery."

"I think you've become too fond of Seras and Alucard, Integra. I think you forget that they are monsters and not people. You forget that they are weapons." Mr. Kershaw reminded her. "Alucard was gone for _thirty years_ and in that time he could have changed directives. He could be fooling you into believing he isn't the vampire killing those young women. Also, of course his fledgling is going to support him. She thrives off of blood, too."

"He's a crafty son of a bitch," Dagwood Morgan said, spittle flying past his lips. "I know the history and who's to say he's not reverted to his old ways? I think you ought to lock them up until this issue blows over or maybe even for good. Perhaps it's as your father thought, Integra, those monsters are far too strong for a mere human to control."

A few others around the table murmured in agreement.

Integra was gnashing her teeth together in frustration at this point. She had heard enough, she stood up and said with a certain tone. "Granted, if the killings do not stop then _I will_ lock both Alucard and Seras up in the dungeon and seal them away. There they will desiccate and mummify and be a threat to no one… this I promise you."

Everyone around the table gasped, not expecting her to agree. They all began to murmur at once until Integra slapped one hand flat on the table surface and leaned in.

"But gentlemen," she continued, the look in her good eye becoming cold and hard. "Do not say that I didn't warn you that sealing them away is a very unwise thing to do, _especially_ for the future of the Hellsing Organization."

"How can we believe you will follow through on such a promise?" Mr. Penwood wondered nervously when Integra shot a glare at him. "That is, should that sort of action be n-necessary…"

Integra roared. _"Because I give you my word!"_

* * *

**Hellsing Manor, 1:24 p.m.**

When they got back from the meeting and press conference, Lilith ran after Integra with an umbrella as the other woman headed to the gun range situated behind the manor on the Hellsing training grounds. The outside was misty and dark due the gloomy, rainy day and overcast sky, but that did not last long when they entered the large building designed for firearm training. Inside the well-lit space, a few people in military dress were here sharpening their skills along the numerous posts, the sound of assault rifles and handguns battering their eardrums.

Commander Lister was here as well trying out a new line of M4-styled rifles customised to shell out .223 caliber blessed silver ammunition with a carbine able to equip modified silver fragment grenades from the mountable launcher. When another member of the Hellsing Special Forces tapped him on the shoulder to bring his attention to the director standing nearby, he looked over and lowered his rifle immediately.

"Oh, good day, Sir Integra," he said pleasantly and like dominos the half dozen other personnel in the place stopped shooting to look over at the woman in charge of Hellsing and her personal assistant Ms. Medrea, who was shaking out her black umbrella.

A few of them nodded in recognition and Integra acknowledged them return with a look and a nod.

"Good afternoon, Commander Lister… everyone, please… carry on as usual," Integra insisted as she headed to the back area in a separate room closed off to the sounds of gunfire to obtain a pair of noise-cancelling headphones for herself and to hang up her long beige trench coat.

Lilith followed Integra into the supply room, designated to hang up jackets or to collect equipment for shooting. "Sir, you haven't spoken a word since we returned from that meeting. Is there anything I can do to put your mind at ease before I head over to intelligence? Marvin has been working diligently to locate whoever sent the news stations those videos and the position seems centred around East London, I want to take a look at their discoveries and get a report for you. Oh, and that item you ordered from the Hellsing Arms Industrials department has arrived, I just got a text about it a moment ago. If you like, I can go and pick it up for you?" The assistant offered, trying to give the other woman some good news. She watched as Integra collected a few magazines for her Sig Sauer P229 semi-automatic handgun. "Shall I call for Mr. Alucard or Ms. Victoria? Perhaps you'd rather speak with them."

"That's not necessary, if they are resting then let them rest." She slid two extra magazines into the pocket of her suit jacket. "I don't want to bother them with all this political bullshit at the moment. Although, I am pleased to hear about the special item arriving. I owe Alucard a huge apology and this should cheer him up, but that can wait for the moment. Right now, I really need a moment to collect my thoughts. I need a moment."

Integra found herself thinking about today's meeting with a sigh.

"Are you upset about having to attend that opera function?" Ms. Medrea wondered if that was what was really bothering her. "I notice how you heave a sigh each time that topic comes up."

At that, Integra laughed sourly. "Have I made it that obvious? I will admit I am not looking forward to this year's ball. I cannot really put my finger on it but something about tomorrow night makes me uneasy. I hate opera."

This time Lilith chuckled. "Opera kind of sucks, huh?"

"I prefer the sound of a good symphony or some music from the Jazz Age over opera." Integra shared.

"Oh! I love the music from the 1920's. It's such a classy sound and a classy era." The assistant's green eyes held a hint of mischief as she continued. "And will you be bringing Mr. Alucard with you? I wonder if he knows how to dance, you might enjoy the ball more if you dance, sir. It'll be Friday night and no one should be home on a Friday evening."

The Hellsing director scoffed. "I assure you he can dance better than anyone attending, but I'm only bringing him as a body guard. I don't trust anyone else."

Lilith hid a knowing smirk. "Of course, just as a body guard."

Integra slammed the cartridge back into her firearm after checking the number of rounds left in it and flashed a look at her assistant for her cheeky remark. She wasn't in the mood to discuss Alucard with Lilith or anyone else for that matter. She changed the topic. "Thanks again for having that press package ready and having something for Penwood to address today about the anti-freak squad, I know it was a lot of work and you did really well to prepare it with such short notice." She looked over at the woman who was a head shorter than she was who was always dressed so posh and proficient. Integra admired Lilith's dark slacks and black blazer with a dark pink blouse underneath it.

Suddenly Integra felt urged to ask, "Do you know why I fight so hard to rid the world of monsters?"

For a moment, the type of question took Lilith aback. "I suppose I have no idea other than the obvious which is making the world a safer place or because of your family's reputation… if not, then why do you do it?" A part of her was literally dying to know.

"I do it to protect the families of this country," Integra explained outright. "I want to see children with _both_ their parents grow with each other, to experience the milestones of life that I did not get to share with my own family for very long. No one should lose that because of monsters."

Ms. Medrea was unable to reply for a moment, her mouth slack with astonishment. "Right, you would have lost all your family by the age of twelve, correct? I read that in the history of Hellsing Organization manual I read prior to working here."

"That's right, except for a variety of relations scattered about Great Britain," Integra replied and turned to look directly at the other woman. "I know you understand what it feels like to lose your parents and I can't claim to have lost mine to monsters but my family was so wrapped up in this organization that our time together felt really short. I don't remember much of my mother who died when I was three. Then of course, I did have an uncle who tried to kill me for the family title and leadership of this organization—a human monster. To think he was a traitor to the Hellsing name still burns me up inside."

Lilith never heard Integra speak this way before and it left her feeling tentative. "Why… why are you sharing this information with me, sir? I mean I'm honoured that you feel comfortable enough to share it with me, but I don't know how to reply."

Integra scoffed bitterly at her memories as she left the supply room and walked over an empty range. Lilith followed behind. She took a shooters stance; feet spread apart, arms out before her holding the gun with both hands. "I apologise for dumping all of that on you. There is no need to say anything. I just needed to say it."

Lilith waved a neatly manicured hand regretfully even if Integra couldn't see it. She quickly tucked the umbrella under her arm, held her palms over her ears and watched the tall blonde fire a couple of shots with practiced skill, all six bullets going straight through the target's paper heart. It seemed even wearing an eye patch did not hinder Integra's aim.

When the other woman was finished firing Lilith said, "Oh no, don't apologise, sir. I've been terribly rude… family is _very_ important and so is protecting them. Sometimes one's love for their family blinds and muddles the truth. Sometimes… it can lead you down an uncertain path."

Furrowing her brows, Integra lowered her gun a fraction. "Oh? Are you talking about—"

Just then, an insistent buzzing came from Integra's left inside pocket and she placed her gun into her left hand and extracted the sleek black phone with her right. The screen showed the call was coming from the main house.

Judy's pleasant voice trilled into Integra's ear when she answered it. "Afternoon, Sir Integra, sorry to bother you, but there are some Iscariot folk here asking to speak to you. Shall I lead them to your office or keep 'em in the lobby?"

"Iscariots! What the hell is Section 13 doing here?" Integra spat out. "What do they want now? They were just here a few weeks ago." Of course, Integra had a pretty good idea about why they were here but it still felt better to complain about it.

Lilith's eyes widened. "The Iscariots…? As in Judas Iscariot, _the betrayer_?"

Waving her hand at Lilith to remain silent, Integra became visibly annoyed as she growled into the phone. "Oh, just tell them I'll be there to see them in a moment. Like _hell_ are they allowed to step foot in my office. I will not give them such a privilege. Keep them in the lobby. Oh! And no tea." She pushed a button to hang up the phone and said under her breath. "I refuse to serve those people."

"Sounds like they have a habit of just showing up?" Lilith commented.

"You have no idea…" Integra muttered. "Well, it looks like my time here has been cut short." She did not sound pleased about that. There was something soothing about the gun range, a great place to blow off some steam and now she was being denied that comfort for a couple of Iscariots. Blasphemy! "Let's go before they find themselves conveniently in some part of the manor I would rather them not be. Nosey bunch, last time they just wandered the place as if they owned it. Bastards."

"Yes, sir," Lilith replied quietly and waited while Integra hung up her headphones and collected her coat. Then they walked back to the manor while Lilith sheltered them both with her umbrella again. When they reached the back entrance, they found Judy waiting for them anxiously.

"May I take your coat, Sir Integra?" she asked.

"No thank you, Judy. Are they still in the lobby?"

The personal maid nodded. "Yes, they are where I left them."

"Let's go," Integra said to Lilith.

Lilith hesitated and claimed, "I'll meet you in the lobby but I need to grab something first."

Integra watched the red-haired woman walk off and with a shrug, proceeded to the lobby on her own, straightening her suit jacket and smoothing her hand over the red cravat at her neck. She ruffled her beige trench coat of raindrops that the umbrella failed to keep dry in her agitation. These Vatican puppet masters, they were sure to get under her skin with their condescending holier-than-thou attitudes. Integra inhaled deeply. Her idea of meeting these people was about as much fun as visiting a dentist for a tooth extraction.

* * *

Bishop Makube, leader of Section 13, glanced around the grand space as he stood on a vast ornate rug, looking at the surroundings with his hands clasped behind his back. He noted the wooden wainscoting on the walls and the curved stairway leading up to the second floor and landing, paintings and family crests decorating the entire space. Above his head a giant crystal chandelier hung like a beautiful glittering threat, which could easily crush him to death should it fall on him.

He sniffed with disdain at the thought.

Once again, he was in this miserable country, in the lobby of this miserable mansion, waiting for its miserable tenant to appear. Once again, there was no show of hospitality with a decent cup of tea or a snack, was it really too much to ask for?

"Vhere is vat woman?" Heinkel Wolfe muttered around the bandages on his face, blonde hair scattered across most of his eyes, voice raspy and speech distorted.

Makube gave a dramatic sigh and turned to look slothfully at his fellow Iscariot, his epicene second in command. He or she, as some would say, was glaring at him impatiently. It didn't bother him that Heinkel was a transsexual, her loyalty rest heavily with the Vatican and she was a powerful weapon in her own right. Heinkel was tall and thin, without the curves of a woman but lankier like that of a man. Yet, Wolfe's face was effeminate, less so now with those bandages she persists on wearing all these years after being shot in the face by a bullet. However, the eyes were still a soft ocean blue and they always made Makube think of a woman, therefore he mentally referred to Heinkel as a female.

"As usual they are playing the waiting game with us, but we still must do our part and find out what they know, or… are willing to share." The words rolled off his tongue with his rich Italian accent.

"I really vish vee could crush this organization once and for all. Filthy Protestant dogs…"

"Well, you'll really need to come up with a good plan if you wish to destroy this place but I fear you'll have to go through _me_ first, Mr. Wolfe."

Heinkel sneered, recognising that voice, and scoffed as he spotted Seras Victoria on the second floor landing at the top of the stairs looking arrogantly down at him. He watched her launch herself nimbly over the railing with one hand and land soundly on her booted feet a few yards away with the ease of a cat. She carried her trusty Harkonnen and readied it on her shoulder, the muzzle aimed at him, just in case.

"What's the matter did all those bandages soak into your brain and make you _weak_ in the head or do you think it turned you into a dickless man freak?" Seras insulted, sounding a lot more vulgar than usual. She couldn't stop herself there was just something about this particular Iscariot that brought out the worst side of her.

Before Makube could stop Heinkel, his comrade removed a pistol from under his long priestly, high-collared jacket and without warning took a shot at Seras. Even the draculina did not see that coming and the bullet grazed her newly formed left arm and blood spattered behind her on to the wall.

"You bitch!" Heinkel shouted. "I dare you to come closer and say that—I'll put a bullet between your eyes after I knock out your teeth!"

"Heinkel! _Stop it!_ " urged Bishop Makube. He looked utterly stunned to witness such hostility coming from his second command. "This isn't the time or the place, what's come over you? Do not let her distract you from our righteous mission."

Seras's eyes were glowing brighter red, brows furrowed angrily as she stared the Catholic jerk down. All she could think about was kicking his ass so badly that the anticipation surged throughout her entire being like waves of rippling heat. With blood dripping down her arm and black shadows trailing from the wound, she began to march over with the sole intent on destroying Heinkel. She was going to tear his limbs from his body like roast chicken. That was… until a wall of red suddenly blocked her path.

"Master!" Seras exclaimed, halting in her step. She growled at the interruption.

Integra dashed into the room from a hallway on the other side of the staircase, urged to run to the lobby after she heard the gunshot. "What in blazes is going on in here?" she demanded at full volume. At first glance, she thought Alucard was the one who started the trouble but evidently, he was the one preventing it. The real troublemakers, she noticed, were a bleeding Seras and that hideous Iscariot Heinkel Wolfe who currently held a pistol aimed at her.

"How very crusade-like of you, entering a person's home and shooting at the inhabitants dwelling inside. Do you deem yourself to have such supremacy over everyone else, Catholics?" Alucard accused and slipped a hand inside his red duster, pulling out the Casull. He placed the barrel of the gun across his left arm, keeping sure aim on Heinkel Wolfe's mangled head. "Again, some things never change with you people."

Seras lowered her cannon and Heinkel lowered his gun but they still glared hatefully at one another.

Bishop Makube regained his composure and settled his droopy cinnamon-coloured eyes on the massive vampire king in his large red fedora and orange sunglasses. He made a move to stand in front of Heinkel to prevent her from making any more stupid moves.

"With all due respect, we didn't come here to start a fight. The female nosferatu clearly shows distain towards my associate, perhaps she should be taught proper manners." Makube offered in such a pleasant way that it sounded nauseating.

"Cut the crap, Papist," Integra snapped at the dark-haired man with a long scar that went from his forehead, over his eye and down his cheek on the right side of his face. "What the hell do you want? Make it quick and get the hell out of my house. I feel no sympathy towards Section 13 and nor do I care to associate with any of you."

"As always it's a pleasure to see you again, too, Integra Hellsing." Makube said his sarcasm palpable. "We are here on a special mission for his Holiness, but we are also here to look into some suspicious murders being conducted by a vampire, who we can't help but notice, looks just like the Hellsing pet vampire, Alucard."

"My master did not do those things!" Seras blurted out from behind her sire, head poking out from his right elbow.

"Ven you are just as stupid as you are vlind," Heinkel retort and stepped to the left side of the bishop, unblocking his path so he could face his opponents again. He glared at the old nosferatu, "What do you have to say for yourself, you foul demon?"

"I assume you are speaking to me," Alucard droned. He lowered his left arm and returned the Casull to the recesses of his long red coat. "I really can't imagine what I can say, you will believe only what you want to hear."

" _My_ vampire does not answer to the likes of you—you're not even within your jurisdiction." Integra reminded. "This is England's business and I assure you we are working on finding the offender behind those attacks. Now, if you have nothing constructive to say to us Bishop Makube then you know where to find the exit." She made no move to come closer into the room and stood her ground at the foot of the staircase.

With a lopsided grin and one lifted eyebrow, Alucard appeared smug after Integra regarded him as _her_ vampire. "Is this really all you came for?" He wondered of the two Iscariots. "This meeting seems pointless, your racket woke me up and I'm getting rather tired of being disturbed in the middle of the day."

"So sorry we—" Heinkel began to taunt but was cut off by Bishop Makube, who held out his arm in front of him.

"If you are all done with your endless prattle then I could, perhaps, enlighten you with a small amount of information pertaining to a certain member of the clergy currently suspected of breeding vampires for some ritualistic sport." Makube threw them a bone and smirked internally when he noticed their eyes widened with his revelation. "But since you insist on treating us with this hostility, I can't see how we can continue this conversation in a more civil manner. I do apologise for my associate's behaviour he has made this reunion, so far, very… uncomfortable."

Alucard's face broke out into a diabolical grin. "So you are not as dumb as you look," he quipped.

Makube sniffed indifferently.

At last, Integra wandered over and stood next to Alucard. "What do you know about that ritual?" she asked Vatican Section XIII.

Makube chuckled softly at how easily he garnered her attention. "Ah, then you see that I am not simply here to patronise you and your humble monster-hunting organization. As I said, we are here on a mission for his Holiness. I hate to inform but we are rightfully within our jurisdiction considering we suspect the man involved with breeding vampires, happens to be a Catholic bishop overseeing a diocese of Roman Catholic churches in London."

 _"What…?"_ Seras blasted.

"Who is this bishop?" Integra inquired. She didn't care that she sounded so demanding.

"His name is Winmore Crane," Makube enlightened, holding out his hands as he spoke. "Our suspicions grew when we discovered—by means that I should not bother to go into details about—an offshore bank account with an alias name. It contains an incredible sum and Bishop Crane has no means to show how he accumulated such funds. Not only do we discover that he is gaining wealth by unknown methods we also discover he may be breeding vampires for some horrific ritual, but for now, it is only hearsay. Of all the congregations in London, his is the largest with the most followers, which is remarkable and the church begins to take notice of such progressions. Naturally it draws the attention of the Vatican, especially with all these Holy Hunter cults cropping up all over London and theirs being the largest and the most powerful. We are suspicious that Winmore may also be working with an illegal organization and that part of his profits comes from exploiting his followers with the help of someone more powerful than him. For now we have only this piece of evidence, a booklet given to exclusive members of these Holy Hunters containing the purpose of their cult and methods for destroying monsters."

The Vatican bishop reached into his robes and pulled out a small book in which he handed to Integra. Seras, Alucard and Integra eyed the small brown leather booklet with the embossed image of the Evil Eye on the front.

The No Life King grunted, "Seems like Bishop Crane's business is booming."

Integra drew her fingers across the eye on the front of the small, leather bound book. She said, "Either Winmore is working alone or with the same organization using this Eye symbol that we believe is behind the strange events unfolding, however, we have not been able to find out who is controlling it. Whoever they are, they know what they are doing and have been doing it for a long time. None of my resources has been able to pinpoint anyone. It's almost like they don't exist. I believe they took out one of their own men who was a member of The Hunters participating in something they call The Sacrifice."

"Yes, and we believe the leader of this sacrifice ritual is Bishop Winmore Crane, the organiser and creator behind this group of Holy Hunters. Perhaps we can co-operate long enough to put an end to his sacrilegious exploits and find out where he is making vampires used for their deceptive ritual," Makube said to Integra, his offer genuine. He held out his hand in a peace offering.

Integra almost hissed at the hand being held out to her, but stop herself. Now was not the time to display her hatred towards Section XIII, not when they were offering to work together to put a stop to this evil cult. She hated to admit, but they could be useful—even if it was a gamble. "Then you must keep us informed if you discover who Winmore Crane is working with… I want the name of the person in charge of this Evil Eye organization. I want to know what they hope to achieve."

Makube produced a slick smile. "Why yes of course, to think there is an organization out there with the power to make Alucard the most wanted vampire again over a century later… is rather impressive."

Integra scoffed, and with a twisted feeling in her gut, reached out and shook Makube's gloved hand.

The Vatican bishop held Integra's slender hand longer than Alucard could tolerate. The vampire king produced a low rumble deep in his throat, his eyes narrowing dangerously at the priest. Makube raised his brown eyes to the tall vampire and smiled, letting go of Integra's hand. "The way you defend your human master has not changed, I see. I have only heard of your special devotion to her but now I understand this virtue for myself. Enchanting."

"And all I see is that the apple does not fall far from the tree," Alucard retort, his thoughts going to Enrico Maxwell, the last foolish leader of the Vatican misfits.

"Yes, well, we have discussed all that we can for the moment, you may keep that book. If anything should change, be sure to contact me. You have my number." Suddenly Makube's eyes lit up and widened. "Oh yes, I almost forgot. The girls, whom this look-alike vampire attacked, all attended one of Bishop Crane's many churches within his district. They were all devout Catholics."

Integra's lips parted with surprise.

"Does that mean my Master's doppelganger works for Bishop Crane?" Seras asked, still keeping a close eye on Wolfe. "How do we know it's not one of _your_ people behind this?"

Heinkel replied, "Don't talk stuvid. Why vould any of our people do such a ving?"

Seras scoffed. "Why wouldn't they?"

"I'm sure the truth will soon reveal itself," Makube declared with an apathetic shrug. "Until we meet again, Integra Hellsing, Seras Victoria and, of course, the great Alucard."

The three of them watched the Iscariots leave the manor and Seras was the first to speak up when they closed the door behind them. "Those good for nothing jerk faces… what makes them think they're so great?"

"The weight of their temerity will forever make them bottom feeders. However, occasionally they prove to be useful, and today is one of those days. This temporary peace treaty is a precarious one at best." Integra said and turned away from the door to face the draculina. She wore a look of deep concern. "Are you alright, Seras?" she asked softly and frowned, "The nerve of that Iscariot dog!"

"I'm fine." Seras looked a bit sheepish. "Well, I might have provoked him a little."

"Forget about it. Let's go to my office, there are a few things I'd like to discuss with both you and Alucard in regards to this new information." Integra told them and wandered away, motioning them to follow her with a hand.

"I'd really rather go back to sleep," Alucard claimed, even though he followed the two blonde women down a corridor.

"Just so you know I won't be sending you on the mission I have planned for Seras so you can go back to sleep after we discuss a few things in my office. Besides, there is something I want to give to you," Integra told him. "I'll have Marvin or Lilith, bring it over right away." She wondered where Lilith went anyways.

"Oh?" sounded Alucard.

Integra wore a wry smile. "It's a surprise."

"What kind of surprise?" Seras wondered like a child in front of the Christmas tree.

"It's not a surprise if she tells you," Alucard pointed out and eyed the wound on Seras's arm. It was only a graze just above the elbow, but it left a bloody mess all over her forearm. "How's your arm? Your regeneration is slow."

"I know, but I think I managed to close the wound with what you taught me about regeneration," she said even though there were still black shadows trailing from her forearm like steam. "It stopped bleeding. Grr! I still can't believe that punk shot at me!"

"You should have shot him first."

"Not in my house, Alucard!" Integra hollered.

"Oh, you're no fun."

From the second floor landing, Lilith watched as everyone cleared out of the lobby before descending the stairs. She looked around carefully and when the coast was clear, she pulled out a small plastic zipper bag from her black blazer pocket and wandered over to the blood spatter on the wall.

"This is perfect," she murmured to herself. "I have much to thank the Vatican for."

She could not believe her luck as she turned the bag inside out and collected Seras's blood from the wall. Then she inverted the bag back to normal and removed all the air before sealing it up, slipping the prize back into her pocket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a lot of unspoken things going on in here and for once the Vatican proves to be useful hehe. The whole transexual thing with Heinkel comes from the Kouta Hirano interview I mentioned in the last chapter. He states in the interview that Heinkel is a hermaphrodite... I went with transexual, so I sometimes refer to him as a her or a he. Kouta is such a twisted puppy and I love it! lol! I hope you enjoy the chapter! I hope to update sooner but as usual I'm up to my elbows in chocolate XD! Literally lol! Work consumes my life...
> 
> Next. Chapter 12: The Last Dance. Integra is obligated to attend an opera ball and she brings Alucard as her escort.
> 
> Thanks for the kudos and a comment here or there! :))


	12. The Last Dance

**Royal Opera House - London, August 13th, 6:02 p.m.**

The London Opera Ball is the most prestigious summer event of the year, according to gossip magazines and media circuits covering the event. Some of the most notable families and leaders of the country, including famous celebrities attend this ball. Young socialites, given the red carpet experience, are here to introduce themselves into London's high society.

Outside the enormous building with its Greek style architecture and giant Corinthian columns, white concrete façade next to an arched glass extension, people dressed in fancy ball gowns and tuxedos stepped out of expensive cars and milled up the wide steps and inside. They entered into a wide-open edifice decorated with golden chandeliers, Renaissance paintings, marble floors and giant pots filled with big leafy plants. Long red carpets led the way into various areas of the opera house, into posh restaurants or galleries, and some into lounge rooms and terraces. Beyond all of that was the stairs leading to the main auditorium itself.

Tonight the entire building was hosting a private formal function and the people inside were here by invite only.

Sir Hugh Irons, young grandson to his now deceased grandfather, stood in a crowded banquet room with Mr. Morgan and Gregory Penwood. They stood near the open bar in the dining area surrounded by round white linen-covered tables set with formal dinnerware and wine glasses. The number of tables could easily sit two hundred people. The three men were decked out in suits or lavish tuxedos equipped with tails and polished shiny black shoes.

In their white gloved hands, they carried a sparkling flute of champagne.

"The protesters outside are frightfully aggressive tonight," Gregory Penwood said over the noisy crowd inside the dining hall, smoothing a finger over his black moustache anxiously. "Especially with those vampire attacks on the news, I nearly got mauled by reporters."

"Indeed, but Hellsing and Walsh were correct. The people show positive favour for the new anti-freak squad you introduced yesterday. Those protestors outside only want to stir trouble and create havoc, they have been doing that for years. Didn't you enjoy the cheer they gave you as you came up the front steps?" asked Sir Irons, patting Gregory on the shoulder. "I think it was the only time they appeared happy on the way in. Soon London will be calling you a national hero."

Sir Penwood gave a feeble chuckle. "It was rather nice," he replied merrily.

"And you should be proud of yourself, Gregory," Alastair Kershaw said announcing himself to his comrades as he approached the group of fellow Table members. "Cheers, old friend."

The four men saluted each other and drank from their glasses.

"I must say your wife and daughter are looking fabulous tonight, Dagwood," Mr. Kershaw told Mr. Morgan and all eyes moved towards the group of women consisting of the curvy Mrs. Margret Morgan in a long indigo blue dress and Juliet Morgan in an off-shouldered light blue gown who was attending her first unveiling as a debutante. Accompanying the two women was Hugh's pregnant blonde wife with her large round belly poking out beneath her stretchy black gown.

A waiter came by with a tray of hors d'oeuvres and Dagwood Morgan grabbed two of the mushroom vol-au-vents and stuffed them into his mouth. He washed them down with a sip of champagne and said, "Many thanks, Alastair. Did you bring the girlfriend you're keeping hidden from us?"

Hugh and Gregory looked curiously at Alastair for an answer, too.

Mr. Kershaw laughed. "She's too busy to attend tonight's gala but I'm not sure I'm ready to introduce her to you fools just yet."

Sir Irons sniffed with amusement and adjusted his glasses. "I fear he's delusional, perhaps this girlfriend is simply a load of hogwash."

Gregory and Dagwood chuckled.

"You're a funny man, Hugh— _real_ funny." Alastair said being a good sport. "So when is Allison due to have the baby, do you know if you're having a boy or a girl?"

"We're keeping the gender a surprise. The doctor says she's due October 1st." Hugh told them proudly, "Another month and a half, approximately."

Once more, the four men raised their glasses at each other and sipped the champagne.

At that moment, Integra entered the dining room with a certain daunting vampire on her arm. She was a real sight tonight in a shimmery gold and cream coloured dress with a long slim skirt and capped sleeves, a jeweled neckline with a sheer lace top-over bodice dotted with gold beads and sequins. The dress had a form-fitting shape and left her back open and bare. Her long pale blonde hair was up in a twist and held by two gold ornate hairpins that resembled chopsticks. She also wore a beige silk eye patch to match her attire and a contact in her good eye, which gave her an overall more feminine look.

"Well, will you look at _that_ ," Alastair murmured in awe over his glass of champagne and everyone turned to see what he was gawking at.

"Sometimes I forget that Integra Hellsing is a woman she so rarely wears a dress unless it's to these high-end functions," Hugh Irons mentioned sarcastically. "And she brought that animal with her, tsk."

"Oh, don't be too hard on her, Sir," Alastair reproved. "At least he doesn't look like the guy on the news at the moment. It's wise of her to bring a body guard and who better than _him_."

Indeed, Alucard was not wearing his usual get up of red duster, orange sunglasses and hat. Tonight he wore a simple black-tailed tuxedo with black satin lapels, a matching waistcoat, white wing-tipped dress shirt, a red silk handkerchief in his left breast pocket and a black silk tie tied into an Eldredge knot. It was clear he wore tinted glasses to hide his red eyes and changed his black hair to a long and flowing style. However, his nefarious smirk gave him away to Integra's comrades.

"Nothing good can come with getting that comfortable with vampires even if she is using him as her body guard," Mr. Morgan predicted, he did not like it one bit. "You'd think she wishes to become one of those creatures instead—the way she carries on with them."

"Well, perhaps she should," reasoned Mr. Kershaw. "She's been around them all her life, it's all she knows. I dare say I don't think she's even been with a man, if you catch my drift."

Gregory blushed immensely at the mention of Integra's virginity. "You shouldn't speak so freely of Sir Integra, she's liable to—"

"—to what, rip my head off—put a few bullet holes in me?" Mr. Kershaw challenged and laughed loudly, he seemed to be enjoying himself a little too much. "Yes, well, look at how brilliant they are together. I mean _look at her_ , she is not as tired and worn looking as she was a week ago. And I don't think it's just tonight's makeup. I saw it yesterday, too. Tell me you blokes don't see it?"

They all saw it all right. They saw it every time they saw them together but even more so lately and tonight, Integra was all but glowing on the arm of her vampire companion this evening.

What sort of dark magic was at work here?

The members of the Protestants Knights were curious to know.

* * *

"I believe you look positively _delicious_ tonight, my master," Alucard whispered sinfully next to Integra's ear. Once again, he felt the strain of his fangs threatening to elongate with the sheer thought of sinking them into her flesh. It drove him crazy how easily his master could cast this spell on him. "I can't remember the last time I saw you wear a dress."

"I believe it wasn't since the day I met Enrico Maxwell in the museum thirty years ago," she clarified and requested, "Please, don't call me 'master' here tonight Integra will do just fine."

Alucard grinned. "Integra it is then, master. And yes I remember that specific meeting but that humble frock you had on that day, was nothing like this one."

She sighed. "You're hopeless."

Alucard shrugged and took in the scene before him, a dining room filled with people who would be participating in dinner, drinks and dancing before proceeding to the auditorium later for the opera concert. The young debutantes of the evening had already been introduced before they arrived and now mingled with the guests. There were so many voices speaking all at once, so many individual blood scents, peals of laughter and glasses tinkling with ice, some raised in toasts. There was soft piano music filtering thorough the noise in the background. His vampiric senses were in overdrive, but it was an interesting change from his often, quiet chambers at the manor.

Integra did not often let him play in the sandbox with others.

Yet, not one of these people appeared concerned by the large group of protesters outside claiming the influential and wealthy people of the country should be doing something better than throwing an expensive ball, especially when there was a murderous vampire on the loose.

For most of these people, it was just another day, another party.

The vampire king sniffed to himself, humans were quite amusing and people watching never got boring. To think that his beloved human asked him to come to this function amazed him immensely. She claimed she required a bodyguard and he would not deny her his protection, especially since she got that severed finger or the fact that someone was pretending to be him. Still, he couldn't get over how much Integra has changed over the years. These daring acts lately displayed her stubbornness perfectly but he hoped it would not get her into too much trouble.

Speaking of trouble, he saw her colleagues from here, the powerful men of the Round Table all staring over at them. They were the only ones in the room who knew who he really was but they should understand her reason for bringing him here. Admittedly, their gobsmacked expressions stroked his ego and he could not help but think. _That is right. I have the infallible Integra Hellsing, England's Iron Maiden, on_ _my_ _arm._

"I can't call you Alucard so what should I call you?" Integra wondered quietly, accepting a glass of champagne the waiter offered graciously.

Alucard grabbed his own glass of champagne off the waiter's tray and looked at the fizzling drink in his white-gloved fingers. He thought about it and smiled with a light bulb idea, "You can call me, John McClane."

"What happened to Mr. Brenner?" The Hellsing woman narrowed her good eye at him.

The vampire king wore a thoughtful expression. "I'm feeling kind of nostalgic."

Integra gave him a perplexed look and let go of his arm defiantly. "Don't wander off and don't make a spectacle of yourself," she ordered and lifted the glass flute to her lips, taking a small sip of chilled champagne, surveying the dining hall and many familiar faces.

Alucard cast a dry look at his master. "You underestimate me, Integra."

Immediately, Integra looked culpable. Of course, Alucard wasn't born yesterday, she had to trust him. "You're right, I apologise. It's just been a long time since we've been out in public together and I feel utterly ridiculous right now."

His sultry red eyes were a haunting silhouette behind his frameless dark shades and they looked right at her. "The only ridiculous ones here are those that can't see you for what you truly are whether you are in a dress or a man's suit," Alucard assured.

"And what is that?" she wondered curiously.

"A warrior..."

Something about his reply brought a soft smile to Integra's face. "Come on," she said with a puff of amusement. "Let's go get this evening over with."

* * *

**East London - August 13th 6:30 p.m.**

Seras Victoria had been tailing Winmore Crane since yesterday afternoon. She followed him to the barbers while he got a haircut. She hung around outside a modest little house outside of town while he ate dinner with his elderly mother. She watched him work at his computer, watch the news, talk on the phone, walk his yappy little terrier he called, Napoleon. She even tried to block the image of Mr. Crane traipsing around naked in his condominium as he went in search of a towel he forgot to take with him to the shower but… she didn't try that hard.

Turns out Winmore Crane was actually a handsome fellow.

He was tall, muscular and had light brown hair that he kept short and trimmed. His had chiselled features covered in scruff, the facial hair a touch darker than the hair he had on his head. He wore a regular suit, usually dark or entirely black and only wore the clerical collar occasionally. When he was speaking at one of his churches within his district, he wore the traditional preaching gown, long black robes and smock with white bands at his collar.

Right now, however, he was exercising. He was working on his abdominals doing crunches, without a shirt, gleaming with sweat, which Seras viewed from the balcony window of his high-rise residence like a fly on his wall.

Pip Bernadotte gave a solemn grunt. "One would think you are kind of enjoying this mission, my sweet _boulette de pomme_. I mean just look at this guy… he's like a freakin' Adonis or something. How can that _thing_ call himself a priest? Hrmph, I'm feeling all kinds of mediocre right about now."

Seras would not confess that Pip's voice startled her, as she was so absorbed in her reconnaissance. She exhaled slowly and told him within her mind. _"Don't be silly, Pip. I'm just hoping he leads us to this cult of his. I mean, he has to attend some kind of Holy Hunter meeting sooner or later. Integra told me to stay on his trail and not to leave it no matter what—well, unless there's serious danger. But if that happens I'm supposed to contact her or Alucard right away."_

 _"But it's been over twenty four hours and he's just doing stupid normal things. Fuck, he probably moonlights as a personal trainer or something,"_ complained the Frenchman. _"How long do we have to do this? It's not fair, Integra and Alucard get to live it up tonight at some fucking fancy ball and eat fucking fancy food and drink—"_

 _"—fucking fancy wine?"_ Seras teased. _"I don't really care about that. My masters deserve a night out even if it's—"_

 _"Kinda fucked up?"_ Pip volunteered. _"How can it be fun if all those snobby rich bastards are watching them and doing—I dunno—snobby rich stuff?"_

Seras chuckled at how absurd Pip sounded during his tirade. _"I was going to say, they deserve a night out even if it's someone else's party. It doesn't mean they can't still have fun. When you're in love with someone it doesn't matter where you are as long as you have one another. It's like that with us, you know."_ She smiled to herself with the thought. _"Haven't you seen how different things are between them since Master's return? Integra has grown up a lot while he was gone and she's not playing so hard to get anymore, it's really great to see her realise her true feelings for him. I'm not stupid. I know what's going on."_

Pip gave a lecherous snicker inside Seras's mind. _"I wonder if they've… you know. Wink. Wink. Nudge. Nudged."_

_"Oh! I can't believe you just said that, you're disgusting!"_

_"What? It's not like we haven't…"_

_"You don't understand, Pip, they can't go all the way."_ Seras reminded the ex-mercenary.

_"Why not…?"_

_"Because then Integra will turn into a ghoul instead of a vampire—if or when she finally accepts Master's invitation, that is."_ The female nosferatu explained. _"I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It would be so great if she did."_

Pip thought about it. " _Yeah, that'd be something. She'd make a scary monster that's for sure."_

 _"What the hell do you mean by that?!"_ Seras screeched at her familiar when suddenly she realised the hot clergyman was no longer doing sit-ups on his living room floor. _"Wait, where's Mr. Crane gone off to?"_

Seras focused her vampire hearing and picked up Winmore's voice as he spoke into the phone from another part of his apartment. She listened for a moment before she gasped to Pip, _"He's going to meet someone later. Yes, finally! This could be it."_

* * *

**Royal Opera House, 6:42 p.m.**

A man at the bar gratefully picked up a short crystal glass filled with expensive brandy and dropped a nice tip on the bar for the bartender. He turned around, leaning casually against the varnished wooden bar and brought the drink to his lips, sipping the alcohol over the ice cubes while his amber coloured, snake-like eyes focused on the notorious Red Count. There was no mistake. The man wearing sunglasses at night, hoping to conceal his vampire eyes, was the infamous vampire count posing as a human, guarding his human master like the obedient dog that he was.

Pfft! Their plan could not have worked out better and tonight would be the kick off to the finale—the end of Alucard and his sidekick.

He could not wait. How delightful it will be to see Alucard's darling master try and talk her way out of this one. That would be something to see. Oh yes it would. Perhaps he could get a rundown of the entire thing another time though.

For now, he would wait and watch. He dug out his cell phone and dialed Winmore Crane. When the Catholic bishop picked up, he said. "I should be finished here around ten o'clock. I'll meet you at Prospect Cemetery by the black obelisk grave marker on the north end. Bring your Seekers or whatever the hell you call them whack jobs and _I'll_ provide the victim for the hunt."

He pushed END and placed the phone back into the inside pocket of his tuxedo. The man seemed to forget all about the topic of the phone call he just had as he stared off in the Alucard's direction, admiring the vampire's evening appearance. "Hmm, I always wondered what I'd look like with long hair like that," he murmured to himself in wonder.

He chuckled and took another sip of his drink.

* * *

Integra mingled and fulfilled her social duty as Alucard observed mostly, saying very little to the people around them. He was more entertained by his surroundings kind of, like a shark in a tank full of fat seals, except there was an invisible glass divider between them. The event itself was incredibly boring and presumptuous. Instead, he mainly watched his mistress and the way her dress swooped down along her bare back nearly to her rear end. It was sublime, tantalising the way her backside looked in this dress.

He smiled. Dresses like this on Integra were as rare as a total solar eclipse. Alucard held his phone up and took a picture of her on the sly. God bless modern technology he mused to himself devilishly, finding himself getting comfortable with the new devices of today.

When it was dinnertime, an announcer urged everyone to take his or her designated seats. Integra and Alucard sat at a table with the Convention of Twelve members and their families, Sir Hugh Iron's pregnant wife Allison, Mr. Morgan's wife Margret and debutante daughter Juliet. Alastair Kershaw and Gregory Penwood sat at the table as well.

Mrs. Morgan, who was sitting next to Alucard's right nudged his arm playfully with her elbow and asked in all seriousness, "So how long have you known Integra, Mr. McClane? I dare say she never brings an escort to these events except when she had that old butler that followed her everywhere." She wrinkled her nose. "I never liked that man. There was just something about him."

With a curious look, Alucard could not help but reply, "I agree that old butler _was_ difficult to read."

Mr. Morgan snapped his head up, turned his attention to his wife and said, "Come now Margret you've had too much champagne, why don't you nibble on some bread and leave him alone. He's just her bodyguard."

"And such a handsome bodyguard," Margret exclaimed batting her lashes at the vampire, ignoring her husband for the most part. "Where did she find you?"

Alucard gave Mrs. Morgan his most beguiling smile. He noted that she was a voluptuous dark-haired woman in a blue dress that left nothing to the imagination in regards to her shape; her bosoms were like two huge melons. Nevertheless, she had the friendliest nature for an older woman, unlike her husband and Alucard thought she was charming. "I've known Integra since she was twelve years old," he replied. "She found me in a dungeon."

Margret blinked with confusion for a moment and gasped, "A dungeon…?"

The vampire felt Integra kick his shin with her pointy beige heels underneath the table. His grin morphed into something sneaky and mischievous. "That's what I used to call the place where I worked, it was a castle, you see. I was the head of security there. It's a popular tourist destination up north. I'm also an old friend of the Hellsing family… a really _old_ friend."

"Oh!" The woman laughed. "You had me going there for a moment you evil child. Well, how delightful that she brought you this evening. Will you save me a dance? As long as Integra doesn't mind…"

"Oh mummy," Juliet Morgan chastised. "I swear if my mother had a dance card she'd be the first to fill it. I hope you are not offended, sir, she has no filters."

The people at the table twittered.

By now, Integra was trying very hard not to snicker too. "By all means, Margret, I'm sure he'd be delighted to dance… careful now, he might just sweep you off your feet."

The older woman was beaming at the prospect and her husband tossed a scowl at Integra. She merely picked up her glass of red wine and saluted him in cheers, before taking a sip.

When the first of three courses arrived, Integra leaned over and spoke for only Alucard to hear. "You're not going to eat that, are you?" She gazed at the salad plate topped with dressed greens and pears poached in red wine, sprinkled with soft cheese and pistachios.

Alucard was busy placing his napkin over his lap with all the etiquette of a spoiled debutante. "I might not enjoy it but it all goes to the same place. It won't kill me." He told her quietly. "Besides… how embarrassing for you if I simply sit here acting like a foul boor."

Integra scoffed at his statement thinking he was a boor half of the time. He'd been insisting that he guard her during the last few nights, spending his evenings lounging in her bed watching YouTube videos while she slept. The only time he used the facilities was when he was drinking wine, otherwise he never needed to bother with it. "Then stay the hell out of my bathroom later if you get an upset stomach," she warned him.

"It doesn't work that way," he replied in a whisper. "You forget that I devoured an entire man once—didn't even get indigestion." He warmly remembered Luke Valentine.

It took a lot to make Integra cringe but this time she did not hold back. "Please… _do not_ say another word," she implored.

Alucard was not only watched by Integra as he consumed the fancy French-styled spoils of dinner, but the Round Table members gawked at him also. It amused the old vampire to no end, even if eating mortal food was somewhat disgusting and gave him no energy or health benefits whatsoever. Still, it was fun to see their dubious expressions. Human are such fools.

Later after a few tedious speeches and the tables were cleared, a group of musicians gathered on the small stage with their trumpets, trombones, drums and clarinets and began to play lively big band music, swinging jazz. Eager to get this party started, people got up to dance, filling the parquet dance floor in front of the band. The electric sound of _Sing, Sing, Sing_ by Benny Goodman filled the air.

Integra felt a lot more at ease once dinner concluded and after the consumption of champagne and wine. She found herself actually enjoying the dance she shared with Alastair Kershaw. The man with his gelled blonde hair and clean-shaven face looked quite dashing this evening in his tuxedo. He wasn't a bad dancer either, not that Integra felt like an expert or anything. Give her a gun or a sword she thought, and she would prove her skill, but dancing… uh, no.

Alastair and Integra glanced over at Alucard and Margret who were dancing nearby— the Morgan woman was clearly having the time of her life. Alucard was cool and charming, expertly twirling and leading the woman in a dance she would never forget.

Integra shook her head. It seemed like Alucard was truly enjoying himself, too.

"He sure knows how to play the game. I'd never guess that he's a vampire." Alastair commented close to Integra's ear. "I'm impressed."

The blonde woman sniffed incredulously at such a statement. "And why shouldn't he know how to play such games?" Integra retort as she tried to keep in time with Alastair's movements. "He might be a monster now but he used to be the Prince of Wallachia, you know the history of that as well as I and I shouldn't have to remind you. I doubt he's forgotten everything and I'm also sure he's attended more galas than either of us combined."

"Well, you have me there," the man answered candidly. "It's just… it's always interesting to see vampires playing the human card. From the way the Twelve speak of him, I imagine him more of a psychopath rather than an individual able to function properly amongst humans. But clearly he's versatile."

Integra considered it carefully. "He can be quite convincing when he wants to be." She thought about Alucard's comment about his vampiric bloodlust. She mused, "I'm afraid he'll always be the strong violent type. However, he's not exactly the same as he was thirty years ago, the change is minor—I shan't bore you with details." She was not going to explain about the three million souls the vampire destroyed within himself.

"You're not the same person either, I imagine. That Zeppelin Affair did things to people. It did _a lot_ of horrible things." Then he chuckled to lighten the mood. "I have to be honest, Ms Hellsing, you are looking truly stunning tonight. Are you sure you haven't become a vampire yourself?"

For a moment, Integra was speechless and stammered for a reply. She hadn't swallowed Alucard's blood for the sake of vanity, that thought hadn't even crossed her mind. However, becoming a creature of the night was something she could not deny thinking about and Mr. Kershaw's question threw her off guard. Her lips moved soundlessly until someone grabbed her by the hand and pulled her roughly up against their body. She gasped and tried to catch herself, planting the palm of one hand on that person's sturdy chest.

"I couldn't help but overhear you talking about me," Alucard claimed, eyes directed down at Integra. He smoothed his left hand around her side and settled it on her lower back possessively. He nodded at Alastair in a gesture to say that he had stolen the man's dancing partner fair and square. Then he lifted Integra's right hand in his and clasped their fingers together, sweeping her away from Mr. Kershaw.

Only then did Integra realise the music had changed into something slower paced and that someone was singing Peggy Lee's famous _Fever_ number, did she grasp on what just happened.

"How _dare_ you," she said furiously, her one hand still braced on Alucard's chest. She tried to shove him off in irritation but failed miserably at the attempt. It was like trying to push a wall of stone. "That was rude."

The vampire produced a profound grunt in his throat. "You challenge me to stand by and let some worthless human drool all over my queen? He is fortunate I haven't crushed his skull beneath my foot or better yet, unloaded the .50 calibre bullets from the gun you gave me yesterday into his pathetic corpse. By the way, I gave my new gun a name," he said rather fondly. "I call it, The Professional, after the movie of the same name. What a masterpiece, it might very well surpass the Jackal and I'm _dying_ to give it a test run."

At this Integra actually laughed softly. "Please, he was only complimenting me, not trying to win my heart. Trust me, _Mr. McClane…_ that's already been taken." The words rushed out of her mouth much to her astonishment and she immediately cursed her loose tongue tonight.

Alucard's brows rose and his lips parted with wonder. He laughed with delight. "Magnificent," he said deeply, eyes burning brightly behind his glasses. "You needn't say anything else, master. You can't hide your true feelings from me." He moved her along at a slow pace and smiled hugely when she stepped on his foot. "You're still a horrible dancer, I see."

Integra ignored the dancing comment and asked accusingly, "You're reading my thoughts."

"Did you really think I could stop doing so when so much is happening these days?" He countered reasonably. "I apologise but I was suspicious that you were hiding something from me. Admittedly, I only peaked once or twice, and right this moment, of course, because reading your thoughts all of the time is exhausting." Then he made a slightly puzzled face. "I have noticed that you've been thinking a lot about your father and Seras's mission with Crane, but you have also been thinking…" He smoothed his gloved hand up along her back seductively. "…of some rather sensual fantasies involving you and I lately. A lot more than an immortal man like me can ignore."

Alucard spun Integra just as her expression turned to one of slight shock, moving her with ease and then caught her back up in his arms. He made it all look so easy. When Integra was face to face with him again, he noticed her rosy cheeks. Perhaps she felt flushed from dancing, embarrassment or has had too much wine at dinner, but either way she never looked more gorgeous.

Yet, Integra's rosy expression turned to one of cynical amusement. "I knew you wouldn't be able to stop yourself. Just stay out of my head. _That's_ an order."

The vampire did not respond but he did lower their hands and led her off the dance floor. She did not resist him. They cut through the crowd, weaved around a few dinner tables and Integra heard the music fading behind them as they walked onto the outside terrace. It was a huge concrete balcony with a concrete balustrade only two stories up overlooking downtown, the sounds of cars and the general hum of the city mixed with the faint sound of jazz. It was nighttime and the city lights were lit up around them, a soft glow coming from the one lamp on the wall by the French doors leading back inside. It was dim and no one else was out here at the moment.

Alucard led her to the left side of the balcony, away from the main view of the ballroom so they had a little more privacy. He tugged off his glove from his right hand with his teeth and without warning, he reached up and lifted Integra's eye patch. She startled and quickly went to yank his hand away, not wanting him to see the eye the Nazi Major shot out.

"What the hell are you doing?!" She cried.

It was as he expected, the skin had grown together and healed adequately after all these years. Yet, there was a sweeping set of blonde eyelashes where there probably should not be. And when he ran the pad of his thumb gently over the socket, he felt a slight bump where an eyeball should be. Then it came out of nowhere, the pang of guilt he rarely felt. Integra should never have had to endure such an injury in the first place.

"I'd stay out of your head but I don't understand you at all sometimes," he answered finally, gently lowering the patch back over her eye. He collected the glove he held between his teeth and fit it back onto his hand. "Why did you swallow it? I have to know, Integra. At one time, I could not even dream that you would taint yourself with impure blood, the cursed blood of a vampire—you would have rather _died_ then let that happen. Why did you do it?"

A million thoughts began to pour into her mind but she immediately stopped them. She thought of Seras instead, she wondered if she found out anything yet about Winmore Crane. So far, the draculina had nothing interesting to tell her about her mission.

Alucard frowned and lowered his glasses to look directly at Integra. "Why are you avoiding my question?"

Integra sighed as those red-hot eyes burrowed into her soul, reading her with his strong perceptions. If she was not careful Alucard would deeply infiltrate her mind and God knows what he might discover, she could not have that, not when she has worked so hard to block him. "And here I thought you brought me out here with the intention of kissing me or something—which I would have perfectly smacked you over since we _cannot_ do that in a place like this."

" _No…?_ " countered The No Life King. Since when had he ever allowed rules to stop him? He swept her up in his arms and did exactly that.

Integra struggled and beat him off with her balled fists, but he held her so tightly against him that her fists quickly got squished up against him. For a moment, she was powerless against his supernatural strength and his fervent kiss rocked her straight to her toes like a hot thermal blast. And when he let go and took a step back, she smacked the corrupt grin right off his face.

The vampire merely twittered, his grin returning. Her strike hurt no more than if a kitten had swatted at him. "I'm still waiting for an answer," he reminded her gruffly. "We're not leaving until you tell me."

She dug a cigar out of her small purse and then dug for a lighter. She lit the thin cigar and inhaled gratefully. "Once again, _you_ do not give me orders, servant. Remember your place."

"Then I guess everyone will wonder where we went—Integra and her bloodsucking pet. Maybe they'll catch us out here, maybe I'll kiss you again and rumours will start and—"

"I just wanted to know… _alright?_ " Integra snarled at him out of frustration, anything to get him to stop.

Alucard waited patiently for her to continue, watching her carefully.

"I wanted to know what it might feel like to be what you are." She gave a deep sigh that sounded as if her soul had left her body. "Look, I was twenty-two when you disappeared. I was young, naïve and thought I knew everything, but I did not. Now, I am old and you are here, but I still cling to the fear of losing you again. I just wanted to keep a part of you— _to be_ a part of you— as stupid as that sounds. Please… do not say anything just let me say this. Tainted blood," she said scornfully. "I'm the last Hellsing who cannot bear children anymore, so what does it matter? All that I know is that life is flashing by at a chilling pace and old age encroaches and… I don't give a right damn anymore!"

Alucard looked at her thoughtfully. "You keep too much of these thoughts bottled up. Was that so difficult to say?"

Integra glared at him. "Yes, it was. You don't know how it feels… you've never aged past forty-five."

The vampire winced. "You have a point there. So, I'm a little younger than you are physically but you know that appearance means nothing to me, not when you have lived as long as I have. It is just a shell of our former selves. A person's merit, their perseverance is worth a lot more."

"I suppose you can say that when you're a vampire." She noted the slight streak of grey he still had in his hair and at his temples even if it he was wearing it in a longer style right now. She wanted to touch it. "Sometimes I think I know nothing about you, nothing at all. Even after all the years you've been a part of my family."

His face softened and he drew his fingers along her cheek and said, "Perhaps one day I'll show you. I'll show you every part of my wicked black past."

"Show me… how?"

"It's a secret only known to vampires." His hint was loud and clear.

Integra saw where he was going with that again and quickly diverted the conversation. "I guess you noticed that part of my eye has regenerated thanks to your wretched blood."

"Just give me the word… I'd like nothing more than to heal your eye, master. You did not drink enough. I doubt it would take that much more to finish the job. It would be an honour to have you drink my blood again," he told her in all earnest, because the thought of having her suck his blood was deliciously erotic. He traced his fingertip over her lips but he did not touch them, "What I wouldn't give to see your lips wet and painted crimson with blood, especially _my_ blood... how beautiful."

Integra's eyes widened. "I can't, Alucard. _I won't_. I did not intend to drink your blood in the first place. That was your fault you know, I only intended to bite your lip."

She ruined his mood. He held a hand to his chest. " _My_ fault…? I do not see how you can blame me. You have never once taken me into your mouth and then you suddenly do it. I might be a powerful being but I do have a few weaknesses. That's not fair."

Now Integra laughed incredulously. "Did you really find it so arousing?"

Alucard gave her a look of utter bewilderment. "Do you truly have to ask? Let's just say it's been a very long time since anyone has done that."

"I'll admit your experience with these things makes me feel very inadequate… yet, mad with curiosity."

He truthfully could not imagine what it might feel like to be a virgin for as long as Integra has been and a part of him felt her emptiness, that inherent yearning. He gave a charming smile for her blunt honesty and he almost leaned in to nose along her throat to drive himself wild with sensual bloodlust when another couple wandered out onto the terrace. They saw them and receded to the other side of the balcony. The old vampire kept his distance and spoke to his mistress quietly. He would not intentionally do anything to ruin her reputation here.

"You have nothing to feel inadequate about, Integra." He reassured her. "You are a superb lover and I long to claim you _completely_. All I can wish for is that one day you let me change that for you. That is… unless, you lock me away, desiccate me."

The mood suddenly changed, Integra's insides twisted. "You overheard me talking to Seras last night. I fully intend to keep my word, Alucard. You'll just have to trust me that I'll do _everything_ in my power to see that it doesn't happen."

He studied her carefully and after a tense moment relented. "And do you believe those Iscariots. Doesn't it bother you that they have such excellent timing?"

"Of course it bothers me, Alucard. I know they are hiding something and I fully intend to find out what it is." She insisted.

"Just don't do anything foolish," Alucard warned her. "I fear they aren't the only ones that are hiding something."

Integra steeled her spine and crushed her cigar out with her foot. "Don't under-estimate a Hellsing, my dear Count."

" _Touché_ ," Alucard awarded her. "Remember you are only human."

Integra exhaled softly. He was right, she was a fragile human being, but she was smarter than that. She hoped she was making the right decision. "It takes a human to kill a monster," she reminded him.

Alucard smiled and offered her his arm. "That's true—come, my Countess. I believe they are calling us in for the concert and I _know_ that you'd hate to miss the opera."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh! Mysterious guy at the bar. First off, I personally don't hate opera lol! In this story I went with the whole idea that vampire blood has healing properties but that it takes more than a drop to achieve big changes. I know, I know, I couldn't help myself with another Bruce Willis gun-spirit gag by having Alucard use the alias name, John Mclane lol! Bruce Willis's character name in Die Hard. Hirano you're a funny man. As for the eating dinner thing... I firmly believe at this point in Alucard's extended life he can do whatever the hell he wants XD!
> 
> It fun to mess with the humans. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Things start to get a little crazy and oft times gory after this. I'm working hard to edit these chapters and post them. Currently I'm writing the very last chapter! Phew! Might do an Bonus chapter tho *grins* So maybe two chapters left. As always thanks SO MUCH for reading and commenting and kudos!Much love and rainbows to you. Ja ne!
> 
> Next. Chapter 13: The Hunters. Seras learns the bitter truth about her Master's doppleganger and trouble arises at the opera.


	13. The Hunters

**Royal Opera House - London, August 13th, 8:25 p.m.**

The vampire led his mistress into the mouth of a giant auditorium so massive, it made one feel incredibly small. It engulfed them in red, gold, and cream decor, intricately carved wood trimming on the balconies with electric candelabras, a dome ceiling that resembled the petals of a flower in the center. Dots of lights above them created a majestic atmosphere. The auditorium had rows upon rows of red-cushioned seats sweeping up from the stage below, which looked remarkably far from where they stood. The seats continued four floors high with private balconies along the side, in a large U-shape around the stage.

Most of the people attending this evening's distinguished Opera Ball have been here plenty of times and navigating the room was second nature to them. Yet, ushers still did their duty and one of them directed Alucard and Integra to their seats closest to centre stage.

By the time they reached their row, they could clearly see the orchestra pit down below and the musicians preparing their instruments. The dissonant hum coming from the stringed instruments filled the auditorium and brought about a sense of anticipation.

Integra took her seat and held a small program in her hands containing information about tonight's show. It explained that they would be watching five acts of the famous Don Carlos opera in French. The names of all the performers and production staff listed inside and it included a small biography about them at the back.

As Alucard took his seat on Integra's right, he spied the name of the opera on the cover of the booklet Integra was holding. He was delightfully familiar with this play since it dates back to the mid 19th century. A story based on the life and struggles of Carlos, Prince of Asturias of 16th century Spain.

"You know, this grand opera is at least four hours long," he informed his master.

Integra ungracefully shrunk in her seat with defeat. "Oh, for the love of God," she muttered. "What in heaven's name did I do to deserve this?"

The vampire could not help but twitter at her display of divine misery. "Such are the social obligations bestowed upon you and your righteous family name, Integra Hellsing. I'll keep you company the entire time."

"That's not really much incentive," she answered wryly.

"Well, I can elucidate if you find yourself lost during the performance. In short, it is a story of love and war and travesty." He said passionately. "The woman Carlos loves is stolen from him by his own father and yet she must accept him in order to keep the peace in the lands. Later, The Grand Inquisitor demands the King do something with his rebellious son Carlos and in the end, the prince dies, but I won't tell you who does it."

Integra was unable to contain a groan, which fueled another chuckle out of Alucard. "Hrmph, it sounds like something right up your alley," she said but tossed him a considerate glance. Deep down, she really was thankful for his company and not having to endure this opera alone. "How do you know all this stuff?"

It was Alucard's turn to give her a dry, pitiable look. "I'm surprised you even have to ask. There was a time when all we had were books and plays and things of that nature to entertain one's self, my master. When all you have is time, you find plenty of ways to fill it." He explained like a patient teacher to an unruly child. "You don't think I spent my entire time in Romania, _do you_?"

The Hellsing woman shuddered inside at what other kinds of activities Alucard might have gotten up to while visiting other countries back in the day. "I—I suppose not," she replied.

He smirked at her meagre response. "Italy is where this opera was first shown, but as you can see it has become a French opera as well," he said and leaned over to whisper into her ear so no one else could over hear. "Travelling might be difficult for a vampire but I _always_ found a way."

Integra scoffed at his insolence. "I have some ideas about your kind of nomadic exploits," she retort derisively. "And I'm sure you left a bloody trail of death in your wake."

His gaze went heavenwards towards the ceiling like a prankster, wearing a playful lop-sided grin. He shrugged without care. There was no reason to reply to that, he would not deny it.

"You monster," she whispered with disgust under her breath.

Alucard leaned in once more, his lips brushing the fine hairs on the shell of her ear. "Mmm… yes I am," he murmured almost seductively. His expression remained smug, but he moved away from her reluctantly. He sat back in his seat with his eyes on the stage and hands clasped on his lap, before they gave the people around them a reason to gossip.

An older woman that sat next to Integra's left smiled at her when the curtain began to rise. "Oh! It's finally starting," she exclaimed and patted Integra's arm with glee. "It's the best part of the evening."

Integra replied with a succinct smile, her voice terse. "Yes, how wonderful."

* * *

**Prospect Cemetery - London, 9:20 p.m.**

Seras Victoria hid behind a thick granite headstone in a cemetery that was at least a mile long with a winding road meandering through the middle of it. It was dark and misty with light fog but with her vampiric night vision, she could see the endless rows of gravestones in all shapes and sizes surrounded by maples, pines, thorny honey locusts and twisty old yew trees. There was a light breeze sweeping through the area, which worked out in her favour since she was trying to remain hidden.

She certainly wasn't here to pay her respects to the dead, she was spying on a group of seven people standing near a tall, black obelisk grave stone all dressed in dark clothes with black zip-up jumpers, hoods up with balaclavas and high-tech night vision goggles concealing their faces completely. They arrived in a black van parked nearby and came armed with automatic handguns equipped with silencers. A few had rifles, pouches full of bullets, field knives and magazines. They looked like they belonged to a special arms unit or something.

The heat these people were packing meant they were here for some _real_ business.

The only person she recognised by voice and scent was Winmore Crane. Unlike the others, he wore a grey pullover with the hood up donning the same face gear and equipment as the rest. As he spoke, it was clear he was the leader of this abstruse group of armed people.

"My fellow men, tonight you are no longer Seekers or Watchers. Tonight, you are Hunters, holy warriors and I beseech our heavenly father to provide us with strength to complete our mission this evening," Mr. Crane told them. "We take on the job of men, of mortal beings with untainted souls to cleanse the earth of the foul creatures roaming our planet, feeding off and killing our fellow man. We must take action against the followers we lost from St. Mathias parish last week during The Sacrifice, all because that vampire escaped his silver cage. A terrible accident. It never should have happened and _will not_ happen again." He assured darkly. "Tonight will be a dangerous undertaking, take heed and be mindful of everything you were taught. Vampires are ruthless and vile, they will trick you with lies… they are manipulative beings with power and strength surpassing ours. Nevertheless, we walk in the light and that light shall blind them and we shall prevail!"

The black-hooded group cheered with agreement.

Winmore continued his clerical harangue. "I know there are many groups out there claiming to be divine hunters—they think their direction is righteous and strong, but they are mistaken. _We_ are true vampire hunters! Those other groups are _nothing._ They have no real knowledge or the means to show how to destroy demons from hell. I have proven to you that I can provide you unholy creatures to slay. And, I have proven that they _can_ be destroyed. Those pretenders claiming to be hunters are nothing more than… than petty gangs. They are criminals—"

"—but…but what about that new anti-freak squad the government is providing? I heard about that on the news yesterday." One of the hunters commented, interrupting Crane's speech. "Finally, England is stepping up to protect its citizens, something I can't believe they haven't done already considering they can no longer hide the fact that monsters exist. I can't believe they don't already have an organization for something like that."

Crane scoffed behind his concealing facial mask.

"They are just trying to save their own bacon with that new monster squad. Trust me. Our nation's leaders have a handful of secret organizations they are not telling you about because the people running this country wish to keep you in the dark. It is how they have always dealt with its people—all over the world. They are more concerned about their wealth than our faith or your families. God will not remember them. He will remember _you_ and _your_ hard work and _your_ selfless deeds. That's worth a lot more than all the wealth and social status you can gather." Winmore reminded them. "No one has taken down more monsters than we have, right?"

"That's right!" Someone shouted. "God bless you, Bishop Crane. You are a true Hunter."

"Amen!" They all replied at once.

"However," Winmore continued his tone taking on a darker sort of nature. "I fear we have a traitor in our midst. I'm not sure why the Iscariots are recently drawn to London or why they've started sniffing in my backyard. We've been practicing The Ritual for two years and not a peep from Section 13, not until recently. Their suspicious nature towards my business all of the sudden bothers me, and then… I discover that one of you told them a few things."

He lifted a black leather-gloved hand and motioned with two fingers. Two loutish men standing on either side of Winmore moved forward and grabbed a tall hooded hunter by the arms, immobilizing him.

Naturally, the hooded man began to protest.

"Wait! They started asking me questions about some woman. They called her a paladin. But I didn't know anything about that and I didn't tell them anything about you, Bishop Crane. I swear!" He hollered desperately. "They found me. It's like they already knew everything about me. They cornered me and threatened to kill me if I didn't explain our ritual! They wanted to know how we found the creatures we sacrifice. Why would they ask me that?"

Winmore held out his other hand and someone placed a wooden-handled axe into it. "The Lord doesn't approve of those that would backstab his fellow Hunter and sell him to the corrupt sections of the Catholic Church like those from The Iscariot division. You all know my opinion of those Vatican goons and yet you told them about our holy mission to cleanse London of devil spawn."

"They already _knew_ your name Bishop Crane. They said that you were stealing from us and working with some secret organization to further your status! They kept asking for the name of the organization, but I have no idea what they are talking about."

Even as the man begged and pleaded, Winmore lifted the axe high above his head and savagely brought it down, embedding it into the masked face of the traitor with a sickening thud. Blood spattered all over Crane's grey sweater.

The man's horrific cry turned into a garbled splutter as he took his last harrowing breath. The two brutes holding him up let go and took a few steps back, now that the hooded man could no longer fight back.

Winmore had the thick blade wedged into the man's skull so deep that he had to work it back and forth, even had to brace his foot against the dead man's shoulder in order to get it back out. When he did, the dead hunter slumped to the ground, landing on his back, legs bent awkwardly around him.

Bishop Crane was far from finished.

He lifted the axe again and continued to hack savagely into the body as if in a tantrum, while the others stood around in utter silence and watched. He severed through flesh, causing bones to snap like twigs. The good bishop chopped until the axe hit the spongy ground beneath the body soaked with blood, the blade covered with bits of meat.

" _Mon dieu, he's not so handsome looking anymore, eh?"_ Pip whispered inside Seras's mind. _"The man's a fucking monster!"_

Seras watched in horror.

She could not believe this, was the same man who spent quality time with his mother like a good son. The very same man who took his cute little dog to the park and talked cheerfully to his barber and neighbours. There was no doubt… it was the same man. The brawny Mr. Crane kept swinging that axe like a madman. He went at it until there nothing remained but spilling entrails and mutilated flesh. The body completely pulverized.

He seemed to enjoy it.

The remaining hunters stood around wordlessly but they did not seem too stunned by the incident.

"Didn't I tell you I would sniff out the whereabouts of Megan Blackwood? Thanks to my trusted eyes and ears, I've discovered she may be here in this very cemetery—so fuck those Iscariot bastards! I will not let them damper our God-given right to protect the earth. They cannot stop us!" Winmore encouraged his fellow hunters breathlessly behind his balaclava and night goggles, exerted now after committing brutal murder.

It was time to get back to business, time to get back to hunting vampires…

Winmore walked away from the corpse while handing the bloody axe to one of his henchmen who took it and wiped the handle and blade clean with a rag. "We'll purify her soul and send it back on the path of absolution. However, we have to wait for my subordinate, Victor Payne. This is a big place and he assures me he can locate our elusive vampire better than I can. He'll be here shortly, so in the meantime, let's clean up this mess." He gestured towards the dead hunter on the ground.

It seemed as if the brutal murder of their fellow hunters only inspired the group's lust for more violence. The covertly dressed hunters chattered loudly after Winmore finished speaking to them and a few of them went to take care of the body.

Urgently, Seras dug out her phone and began to text Integra.

* * *

**Royal Opera House, 9:32 p.m.**

Don Carlos was lamenting his lost love on stage when a man stood up a few seats away. He quietly excused himself as he awkwardly passed by Integra and Alucard along their row. Integra moved her feet out of the way but Alucard was not as considerate and the man nearly tripped over the vampire's big feet. However, the shorter man caught himself and glanced at the nosferatu with a pair of yellowish eyes with long black pupils kind of like that of a lizard or a cat.

"Oh, pardon me." The man said with a chipper voice.

Alucard narrowed his crimson eyes behind his stylish glasses when he saw the other man's face, those strange eyes. The man had pale skin and jet-black hair that was short but spiked with hair product. To add to his lively pitch, his features were boyish and he had no facial hair, which made him appear to be in his late twenties at least but it was hard to pin point. He wore a tuxedo that was just a touch too small for him.

The old vampire's intuition kicked in and he grabbed the other man's arm to assist him. As soon as he touched him, Alucard's expression hardened once he inhaled the man's scent and felt his unique energy signature. The man's blood smelled foul.

"You really should be more careful," Alucard advised him politely, letting go of his arm. The strange man threw him a slick smile and continued on his way clearing the row.

Alucard watched him go, watched him wander up the aisle, headed to the back of the auditorium. He turned in his seat to see which way the guy went. He seemed headed for the stairs leading to the upper balconies.

 _Now there goes a real freak,_ Alucard thought ironically.

The man with strange eyes was a vampire. However, he also had that unmistakable scent belonging to humans. It has been over a century since Alucard has come across one of these fascinating creatures, a dhampir, a hybrid that was half-human half-vampire.

Alucard knew the lore, a dhampir began in the womb of their mortal mother who has had intercourse and is bitten by a vampire while she was already pregnant. The blood of the vampire fused with the blood of the human fetus and the result: a hybrid is born. They are truly twisted abominations of Gods' heavenly creatures, beings that are usually recluse and hidden from the public eye.

It was hard to believe there was one here amongst them, and that hybrid _wanted_ Alucard to notice him.

Why?

Forgetting about the opera, Alucard glanced over at Integra who was too busy looking at her phone, she never noticed his interaction with the creature he was scrutinizing. The blue speech bubble on her phone indicated she had just received recent texts from Seras.

"What does she want?" Alucard question quietly.

"Winmore's cover is blown," Integra whispered. "He and his hunters are looking for Megan Blackwood."

Alucard felt an immediate thrill of anticipation coursing through his dead veins. "Shall we blow his joint and use that sinful preacher and his glorified henchmen as target practice? Give me your orders, master." He began enthusiastically, but his mind was still on that half-breed milling around the opera house. Where did that punk go? What was he up to?

Integra saw the excited look on Alucard's face change from night to day. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure yet," he answered mysteriously. "What is Seras doing about Crane?"

"She says he and his group are waiting for another person to arrive on the scene. Someone that goes by the name Victor Payne," she explained and added. "Let's wait for a bit more information and then we'll see if we need to assist her. Finally," Integra admitted gratefully, "we are getting closer to the truth. I hate to thank those Iscariot morons but… they helped getting us to this point. I don't want to flounder this opportunity. I want Crane to lead us to his headquarters; maybe we'll find their caged vampire. I'll have a car placed on standby and I'll notify Commander Lister just in case."

Alucard sat back and crossed his arms. "Very well," he said.

* * *

The notable debutante, Juliet Morgan, could not wait until the tedious opera began so everyone would be distracted and she could sneak out of her seat, claiming to use the toilet, and slip into one of the empty balconies with Ashley Clarke. She was madly in love with her newest boyfriend and his dreamy smile and goofy jokes, but her father did not approve of Ashley at all. He had the nerve to call him a duffer and thought he was _'a rude lad lacking intelligence and common decency'._ Juliet believed her father was an uptight old coot anyways. He was more worried about his politics and his job than he was about her or mum.

She did not care what he thought about Ashley.

Juliet smiled mischievously as she reached up to tidy her straightened dark brown hair, making sure not a strand was out of place. Then she quickly checked over her light blue ball gown, tugging the shoulders down to show off a little more cleavage. Just as she neared the chosen private balcony her and Ashley talked about earlier, someone grabbed at her from behind the red velvet curtain and hauled her inside of it.

Her shriek of surprise drowned out by the well-timed crash by a pair of cymbals coming from the orchestra below.

"Hush now," warned Ashley Clarke in his smooth voice. He took Juliet by the hands and drew her over to the dark corner of the balcony with four empty seats, overlooking the gigantic basin of the auditorium. Staying behind the seats and away from prying eyes, he wrapped her up in his arms and leaned in to kiss her. "You'll let everyone know where we are and our fun will end too soon. There are still three acts left, I'd rather spend my time with you, Juliet, than watch this stodgy old opera," he claimed.

She couldn't agree more and Juliet was swept up in his cool grey eyes, her heart thumping wildly inside her chest. She closed her eyes and felt his lips press against hers, wrapping her arms around him, too. _This is the best night of my life._ Juliet thought. She could taste the breath mint on Ashley's tongue, kissing him with sighs of pleasure. His athletic body felt fantastic and firm beneath her hands.

Ashley grabbed her rear end roughly and Juliet let out another girlish shriek.

The orchestra did not cover it up this time.

They both began to snicker, too caught up in their naughty behaviour to give a damn.

Ashley's laughter came to an abrupt halt when a hand shot out of nowhere and grabbed him by the throat, yanking him away from Juliet, pinning him up along the wall like a flailing rag doll.

Juliet tried to scream only the sound got muffled behind the gloved hand that clamped over her mouth a heartbeat later. Someone very strong had her wrapped in some kind of a headlock, holding her against their body while they strangled Ashley effortlessly with the other hand.

Juliet struggled but their attacker's arm was as hard as steel, no amount of effort could make him budge. She could only watch in terror as the fingers that choked Ashley began to tear right through his throat. He could not scream or cry with the pressure on his neck. Fingers dug into his flesh, eventually severing arteries and his windpipe, the cartilage cracking like a thin tube of glass and nearly decapitated him.

Blood spurt up along the wall from the torn arteries on Ashley's neck, his lifeblood draining from his body like a fountain of death.

The killer holding Juliet lowered the body quietly to the floor and then he turned to look at her.

The young debutant finally got a look at the face of the man that just killed her boyfriend. It was a man with long black hair and red eyes behind a pair of sunglasses. He was tall and pale wearing a tuxedo, but his handsome face now contorted into that of a wild monstrous beast. Her eyes widened and she whimpered as she recognized who it was—the man with whom her mother was flirting with at the dinner table earlier, the man that accompanied Integra Hellsing to the opera.

The girl frantically fought back but his strength was inhuman. Her bites did not affect him. Her kicking did not sway him. He was as unyielding as a block of ice.

She was powerless.

Mr. McClane began to laugh softly, deeply. "Perfect timing, I bet you taste scrumptious," he told her. "Sorry about your little boyfriend there but he's not part of the plan." He held her close and nosed gently against her throat, sniffing her blood scent. He licked the column of her neck with the tip of his tongue sweetly before he opened his great maw revealing his fangs and razor sharp teeth.

He bit into her neck and drank her warm virginal blood. Oh, yes, he closed his eyes and savoured. He would drink all that he could until they found him and he secretively hoped they would not discover him too quickly.

HA!

* * *

Alucard was not mistaken, he heard a young girl scream from one of the balconies on the fourth floor. In fact, he was sure heard it twice. He needed to know where that hybrid went, believing he was the one responsible for the screams. Against his better judgement, Alucard pushed himself out of his seat.

"Where are you going?" Integra demanded, placing her hand on top of his before he left his seat completely.

"The little boy's room," he lied and said, "Too much of that awful champagne."

Integra studied him doubtfully but relented with a sigh. "Enjoy the moment of silence," she replied, jealous that he was escaping this never-ending opera even for a few moments. She looked at the time on her phone and sighed again, they had another thirty minutes before intermission. She could not possibly be as rude as Alucard, so she would wait until then.

Alucard nodded and left quickly, going in the same direction the half-breed went a few minutes ago. When he reached the stairs, he could smell it. Blood. Death. It came from a few floors up and something about it told him that this was a set-up.

The killer was hoping he would follow. For a moment, Alucard felt torn.

To cause a ruckus? Or not to cause a ruckus?

He lived for mayhem. He lived for a good battle. Yet, he lived for his beautiful master, too. Argh! The night was going so flawlessly, he had kept up his end of the bargain by not doing any strange vampire things. He was being the perfect gentleman.

Alucard certainly did not want to fuck it all up now.

Whatever was happening up there, he was already too late to stop it. With a shrug, he returned to his seat next to Integra.

"Well, that was quick," she mused, glancing at him with astonishment. "I was hoping you'd take a break long enough for both of us."

Alucard's brows stitched together. "Something bad is about to happen," he warned. "I'm not sure what it is but be prepared. On second thought, it's not safe for you here. I think perhaps it might be best if we cut our evening short." He grabbed her arm with the intent on leaving.

The Hellsing woman yanked her arm back. "Leave in the middle of the London Opera Ball?" she said incredulously. "Trust me, I'd like nothing better but—"

Just then, a shrill scream tore through the auditorium. It was followed by another and then another. The frantic cries pierced through the singing voices of the opera and eventually people realized it was not part of the show. The orchestra stopped playing. All the performers froze in place on the stage.

The screaming continued.

Alucard sighed. "I told you."

* * *

When Margret Morgan finally located the balcony her daughter was hiding behind with Ashley Clarke, she did not expect to find a monster feeding off her daughter. There in the arms of the man she danced with earlier was Juliet's lifeless looking body all limp as if she were asleep while he bit her neck. He held her as if he were about to dip her in a sensual dance, his arms around her tightly, one hand bracing the back of her head as he fed from her.

Margret stood there frozen.

The monster lifted his savage mouth from Juliet's pierced throat, his fangs and mouth wet with fresh blood. He licked his lips and then he chuckled darkly.

Margret barely noticed Ashley, the boy with whom her daughter had snuck off to meet secretively. His body lay limp against the wall with his legs sprawled out before him, his hands held out as if to catch the rain. There was a smear of blood signifying how he slid down the wall and a pool of it spreading out around him. His head hung abnormally sideways on his right shoulder exposing his crushed throat with only his spine still attached to his body.

The woman squeezed her eyes shut and began to scream in terror.

The evil laughter stopped immediately and she opened her eyes to see that the monster was gone, vanished as if he were never there. She rushed to her daughter's side and pleaded for her to wake up. Her body was already feeling cool.

Margaret frantically wailed. "VAMPIRE!"

Security and guests had already begun to rush up to the fourth floor and gather around Mrs. Morgan. When they saw the scene before them hysterics began to take over the crowd. One person fainted, another ran off to be sick and some screamed, too. Chaos ensued as the account of a murdered debutante and son of a noble family, filtered through the opera house like dominos.

Integra pushed her way up the stairs faster after hearing a woman yelling about vampires, and what she saw made her blood run cold. At that same moment, Dagwood Morgan rushed past Integra and when he saw his wife cradling their dead daughter… he stopped and blinked utterly stupefied.

"Juliet?" He said softly, unable to believe his eyes.

Integra watched her colleague, and then she looked over at Alastair and Gregory who all managed to arrive at the scene. She was speechless. This was not just a random attack. It was deliberate.

Alucard managed to meet up with Integra and almost whistled in amazement at the dreadful scene. This was definitely the work of an experienced killer. He did not question his conviction that this was the depraved work of that half-breed. The pieces of the puzzle began to make a clear picture as it dawned on him.

He was being framed again—right here, _right_ under his nose.

They did not simply target just anybody either. Oh no, they went right after one of the Knights of the Round Tables' debutante daughter. Alucard would have applauded if Integra's colleagues were not around. He was thoroughly impressed.

The vampire king wasn't surprised when Margret looked at him and started screaming hysterically all over again. She pointed her finger at him and cried, "He killed my baby! I saw him drinking her blood. That man—the _vampire!_ "

Integra's brows rose and she spun around to see Alucard standing behind her. Margret Morgan just kept screaming and then Dagwood Morgan looked over at him, too.

Alucard stood stock-still and noticed everyone was looking at him and he began to get that cornered kind of feeling. His trigger finger twitched and he almost grabbed the Casull nestled close to his ribcage beneath his jacket. The instinctive notion to wipe out this entire crowd in a raging bloodbath crossed his mind, but… he looked at his fair mistress unsure what to do.

She had not given him any orders.

He spoke inside Integra's mind. _"I promise you I didn't do this, master."_ He assured her taking the only opportunity he had to explain. _"I saw someone suspicious and I went to follow him but realised the deed was already done so I came back to my seat. Obviously, it is another set up. I believe I know who has been impersonating me. I saw him and I know his scent now he can't get away from me next time."_

Integra could not speak back to Alucard telepathically and spoke aloud. "Say nothing more… you should go. Leave now!" Integra ordered him directly, an unnameable fury burning in her good eye. "Go to Seras. It's not safe for you here."

Just like that, Alucard turned and left the crowd. As soon as no one was watching, he vanished.

 _"What…?!"_ hollered Mr. Morgan when he overheard this. "You're going to help that demon escape yet again, Integra? Even after he _killed_ my daughter…!" The man had angry tears welled in his eyes, his face red with rage. "How many times are you going to protect that foul monster? How many more people have to die by his hands before you will wake up? I want him locked away! He needs to be put down!"

The man fell to his knees next to his dead child, weeping over her with despair. He promised through clenched teeth. "You will pay for this Integra Hellsing!"

* * *

**Prospect Cemetery - London, 10:15 p.m.**

_"It's almost been an hour, where the hell is this guy?"_ Pip Bernadotte asked Seras while she hunkered behind the same red gravestone as before.

While they waited, they watched the hunter's dispose of the dead body. It left in the black van, which drove away but returned twenty minutes later. Seras suspected they tossed the body in the river and hurried back. Now, they simply watched the hunters as they chatted about nothing in particular and messed around with their equipment.

Then they continued to wait.

Seras spoke to her familiar. "I don't know, Pip, but I'm sure who ever they are waiting for will show up soon. These guys can't wait here all night," she assured the mercenary. "At least, I sure as hell hope not."

Pip grunted. _"You know, I have a strange feeling about this night. Everything is much too quiet. Too calm. And you know what they say about that."_

The vampire completely agreed. There was a shit storm on the way.

Seras scanned the cemetery and inhaled sharply when she noticed a man coming up the road. He seemed headed for the group of hunters waiting around with Bishop Crane. The man was at least two hundred yards away and dressed in a tuxedo with a red handkerchief in his left breast pocket. The individual was quite tall with long flowing black hair and sunglasses. He appeared rather pleased with himself wearing a cocky smirk on his face.

"Master Alucard…?" Seras murmured to herself, perplexed.

It appeared as if Alucard had come to join her on this mission and she felt elated to have backup, but… why was he still dressed for the party? And why was he over there walking along the road? Surely, he knew where she was hiding, but she telepathically called out to him anyways, telling him where she was when suddenly the person she thought to be Alucard morphed into someone else completely.

It only took him a few seconds to change, shape shifting fluidly as he walked. His height shortened a whole head. His body grew smaller and his face became youthful with smooth cheeks and a Roman nose. His long raven hair shrunk into a short, spiky kind of style. He still wore a tuxedo but it was different from Alucard's style, the pants were a tad too short and his white socks nearly glowed in the dark.

This was not her master at all!

Her own heart began to hammer with the understanding of who this person really was. It was the doppelganger. Alucard's look-alike! This man was a shape-shifter and an amazing one at that. He didn't miss any details of the suit Alucard wore to the opera ball.

Seras stifled a gasp with another thought. Was this man coming from the ball? Was he at the opera pretending to look like her master?

The draculina felt a sense of apprehension creeping over her skin, something was not right. Something was _definitely_ not right. She frantically sought for her real master telepathically again, calling to him urgently. He should be here by now. Why is he ignoring her?

_"Master! Master Alucard! Hurry and answer me!"_

Seras also sent a text to Integra explaining what she just found out.

When the shape-shifter reached the Hunter group, Winmore Crane seemed pleased to see him. "Ah, Mr. Payne it is a pleasure, to have you join us for the hunt. What kept you so long?" He questioned the shorter, smaller man and handed him a folded bundle. "Here's a change of clothes for you."

Victor produced a pleasant smile and took the clothing from Winmore. He could have shape-shifted into the same clothing as the rest but he did not want to reveal his abilities to the other men who thought he was like them… human. They were members of religious cult who enjoyed burning paranormal beings after all, and they were not part of his ultimate plan. Only Winmore knew he was a hybrid but he knew little else about him. The priest did not even know that it was he, who turned Megan Blackwood into a vampire. All that Winmore understood was that he worked for an organization to which his parish had a connection.

Victor began to remove his tuxedo jacket as he spoke with an American accent. "I just had a few errands to run and then I had to stop for a bite to eat before I left. Now, I'm roarin' and ready for the vampire hunt." He glanced around at everyone. "Well, it looks like everyone here is ready for a little fun. I hope you brought your blessed bullets."

A few hunters excitedly acknowledged him. Of course, they brought the bullets. And of course, they were ready for some fun.

"Have you tracked the vampire down in this huge cemetery?" One of the hunters questioned Victor. "Where do we even start?"

"I suspected our sweet Megan Blackwood might be using this cemetery as her resting place during the day. It makes sense because her family home is only a few miles away from here and new vampires tend to cling to their human disposition for a little while after being born, that is, until they find their own way once they have fed on a few people. So, I didn't think she would be that far from home and searched all possible resting places nearby where a vampire might sleep during the day." Victor explained his rehearsed story as he zipped up a pair of black cargo pants and unruffled the pockets by putting his hands into them.

"I suggest we get moving before we attract unwanted attention," Winmore suggested. "We've hung around this spot a little too long."

Victor was nearly finished dressing, all he had left was the balaclava and night goggles. "Right, our vampire is probably hungry and looking for prey right about now, so be prepared. We'll head over towards the crypts first. I imagine she found a coffin to rest in during the day there."

Everyone piled into the black van. The engine came to life.

 _Oh, come on, Master! They are getting away!_ _I need your help on this one._ Seras was about to give up on waiting for Alucard until she heard her master's voice.

"Why are you always shrieking, Seras…? I'm right here."

The draculina sighed with relief. She sat down heavily with her back against the gravestone and looked over her right shoulder to see Alucard sitting next to her. He had returned to his customary red Count attire, including the wide brimmed red fedora and orange wielding glasses. In his right hand, he was checking the Casull to see if he should replace the magazine. He seemed satisfied and pulled back the slide, flicked off the safety and held it up as if he was looking for some serious payback.

"Master! You're not going to believe what is happening." Seras ventured.

"Try me," he muttered tersely. "Because you won't believe the kind of night _I'm_ having."

"Oh? Is everything all right? Where's master Integra?" she asked with worry. "Has something happened at the opera with your look-alike? I saw him here! For a moment, he looked _just_ like you. He was wearing the same outfit you wore to the ball—same long hair same evil smile— _everything_. Then he changed, just like that, into someone else. His name is Victor Payne, or at least, that's what Winmore Crane and the others are calling him."

Alucard scowled and pushed himself up. He stood holding the silver semi-automatic gun by his side. "It seems that crossbreed has some interesting talents, catching him might actually be a challenge." He seemed rather pleased about that. "As for the ball, our new friend decided to crash the party a bit early, but Integra is fine. I believe her battle will be a lot more difficult than ours."

Alucard quickly explained what happened.

Seras released a gasp when her master was finished. "I've never heard of a hybrid before."

"They are usually well hidden creatures that don't always function the same way that vampires do—there are similarities but there are also key differences." Alucard divulged. "They are a true freak of nature, so to speak."

"How awful for Mr. Morgan and now he's placing the blame on Integra, Hellsing and you. This isn't looking good for our organization."

"No, it's not."

Seras felt deep concerned for both her masters and decided to quickly, fill Alucard in on all that has happened here at the cemetery with the Hunters and the insane, murderous bishop.

"Hrmph! And they call _us_ the monsters." The side of Alucard's mouth turned up with a belligerent scoff. "We need a plan. First, you must find Megan Blackwood before those hunters get to her."

"What do I do with her?" Seras wondered softly. "She didn't ask to become a vampire. This is not her fault."

"Then perhaps it's your turn to give her a choice," Alucard suggested.

The implication of what that meant struck Seras like a bullet. "You mean…"

Alucard began to walk off in the direction of the black van. "You heard what I said, Seras Victoria. Victor turned that girl into a vampire, but he is also using her in his twisted game. She is being hunted like an animal for sport or whatever wretched plot they have invented. Right now, she is alone somewhere in this cemetery wondering whom she can trust. For her it is the worst kind of hell, and only we can help her. Who knows in which way those men will torment her if they do find her."

Terrible images flashed through Seras's mind. "We can't let that happen but Victor seems to know where to look. I think he has it all planned out." Seras exclaimed. "How do I find her before they do?"

"You know how," he reminded her. "Use that third eye. Use your shadows. Speak to the vermin and the night crawlers for they are your servants… if you let them." Alucard advised as he continued to put distance between them. "But I suggest you hurry, Police Girl. I'll do my best to slow them down."

"Right then," Seras replied and called out to him. "Alucard, I'm glad you're here."

The nosferatu turned to look back at her with a thoughtful expression. "And I'm glad to be of assistance to you, my dear. Now, it is time to slaughter those that ruined the one evening in which my beautiful master wore a dress. The most splendid dress I've ever seen, I'll never forget it." He tipped his hat congenially, and in the blink of an eye, the old vampire disappeared.

"Yes, Integra did look beautiful tonight. I'm sorry they ruined that for you, Master." Seras said sadly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was such a busy chapter *headdesk* Some serious shit is about to go down and I hope you're all in for the ride! Winmore is proof that you can't judge a book by its cover XD! I hope you enjoy the madness to come!
> 
> Seriously editing takes way more time than writing the chapter XD!
> 
> Next! Chapter 14 - Good vs. Evil. Alucard confronts his doppelganger, Winmore and gang and Seras finds Megan Blackwood.
> 
> Many thanks for reading!! Much love to you!


	14. Good vs. Evil

**Prospect Cemetery - London, August 13, 10:30 p.m.**

Under a murky night sky in the misty gloom of the cemetery, Seras did as her master requested and went in search of Megan Blackwood. She knew the layout of the cemetery thanks to the satellite image she had on her mobile. While waiting for Crane's man to show up—who turned out to be Alucard's doppelganger Victor Payne—she had all the time in the world to study it.

Intelligence at Hellsing headquarters were assisting her in any way that they could. They were completely aware of the situation and were currently on stand-by just in case things take a turn for the worse and she needed some extra hands.

Zipping across the area in a red flash, faster than the human eye can see, Seras headed for the crypts desperate to find the newly turned vampire created by Victor. She could not let those Hunters have her for their perverse forms of entertainment, training or whatever the hell they intended, even if Crane did make it sound as if he were doing the world a favour by ridding it of monsters.

Maybe he had good intentions but he sounded like any other extremist and his actions tonight did not settle well with Seras. Something was incredibly wrong with Winmore Crane and something about his entire operation did not make sense. He was leading a group of innocent people into believing he was a seasoned vampire hunter, and they believed him. Yet, it looked to her like Victor and his people were the ones really running the show. Crane seems like a delusional man gaining power and wealth by exploiting his followers, breeding vampires for sacrifice or dealing with shape-shifting hybrids to turn innocent people into vampires for his own crazy scheme.

Suddenly, off in the distance, Seras heard a loud explosion and subsequently the squeal of car tires. The draculina could not help but wear a nefarious smirk on her face… Alucard was just getting started. She only hoped he would buy her enough time.

 _All right, it's time for me to focus, too._ She thought.

Blessed with many of her creator's supernatural talents, unique abilities related only to his bloodline, the female nosferatu had only to try. To further her skills she needed to work on them and then maybe she could do some of that really cool stuff, too. Perhaps one day she might be as powerful as Alucard—Seras rolled her eyes at the thought and grunted.

"Geesh, maybe if I live for five centuries I might have a bloody chance." She muttered to herself incredulously. Nevertheless, she would not give up. Seras was not a quitter. She was determined to become stronger, to show Alucard how much she has grown, and she was definitely not the kind of woman who easily surrendered.

Not now. Not ever.

One skill that she has greatly improved on is the manipulation of shadow. She decided to start with that to find Megan. Kneeling on the grass between gravestones, Seras placed her palms on the ground. It only took a moment to cover a large area of the cemetery in a thin blanket of her shadow, quite like how she covers the mansion. With any luck, Pip would locate the girl.

"She's exactly where that Victor guy said she would be," Pip told her in astonishment. "I can sense someone moving around the crypts."

"Is she inside one of them?" Seras asked him.

" _Merde!_ It's hard to tell when there are so many of those concrete vaults so close together and overgrown with bushes and plants. Alucard did mention night creatures. What's the harm in trying? Perhaps they can tell you more, my sweet?" The mercenary suggested.

Seras wrinkled her nose. "I hate bugs and vermin," she whined. "They squirm, live on dead things, they have a million legs and they chew on babies while they sleep. Maybe there is a rabbit around or a bird—gah! I've never communicated with or controlled animals before. What does master mean they are my servants? There is no book about Controlling Animals and Bugs for Vampire Dummies! I have no idea where to start."

"Well, their little souls are already caught in your shadows. Can you feel anything moving around on it? Do you see anything?" the Frenchman questioned. "I always wondered what I might see through an animal's eye."

Mr. Bernadotte gave her an idea. "What if I pinpoint one creature? Right now, I can sense thousands of living creatures all around the cemetery. It's like white noise if I try to listen to it all." Seras closed her eyes and focused harder, breathing evenly as she tried to locate a single heartbeat pulsing on her shadow, a solitary creature. She sensed a rat. It was a fat grey rat.

"Hi there little guy."

"I think it's best if you don't speak out loud but just to the rat," Pip offered.

Seras nodded dryly and tried again but spoke to the rodent with her mind. "I need your help finding Megan Blackwood. I know you don't know who that is but she's in danger and I need to find her quickly before a bunch of rotten humans do. Can you help me?"

It felt like forever, as the rat seemed to run in some unknown direction. Maybe it wasn't even listening to her at all until a bunch of other rats joined the fat grey rat and suddenly Seras saw a bigger picture through their eyes, a green-bluish outline of a tall girl loitering around a whitewashed vault. This particular crypt had a lofty black door on the front with carved vines and roses on its arched peak. It looked like a small temple that could house at least ten tombs. The girl came closer, she leaned down to peer at the collection of rodents all gathered together and they scattered, scrambled away in fright.

Seras's vision disappeared as if someone pulled the plug. She gasped. "I saw her! Come, this way."

Pip was busy questioning Seras about what the world looked like from a rat's eye, but she was not listening to him. She came to a stop outside of a row of crypts that resembled little houses but they were resting places for the dead.

Then she saw her.

The girl looked exactly how she appeared on the news, young and innocent. Her straight honey blonde hair was frizzy, and her complexion a touch more pale now that she was no longer human. She still wore a pair of black sweats and a purple tank top. Yet, her feet were bare and dirty as if she'd been taken from her home without shoes.

"She looks so lost," Seras said to Pip sadly. "It's as if she's waiting for someone."

"No doubt she's waiting for Victor—her Alucard look-alike. Her master…"

What a horrible thing for a master to do, she thought. Seras released her grip on the stock of her weapon and shouldered the cannon. She approached. "Megan Blackwood, is that you?"

* * *

After the front left tire exploded, Victor, Winmore and the Hunters climbed out of the van once the driver got control of it. Suddenly on edge, the group held their weapons at the ready, expecting some kind of ambush, but the night was as lifeless and quiet as the people buried in this wretched cemetery were.

"I don't think we were targeted—seems like the bloody tire just had poor timing," Winmore decided, glancing down at Victor who was a whole head shorter than he was.

The crossbreed grunted, "Hmm… perhaps." He sounded skeptical, looking this way and that. It made the hunters nervous.

"Are you sure you weren't followed?" The bishop inquired, there was something mistrustful about his question. "What were you doing this evening before you came here, anyways?"

The hybrid chuckled, his laughter cynical. His demeanor was aloof and overly confident as he crossed his arms over his broad chest. "That's none of your business, bishop. I told you I'd help you find a vampire to hunt so you could train these men and let them experience the death of a monster first hand. Not only have I found you a vampire but I also found the girl on the news that everyone is talking about. Imagine what your followers will say, when they discover you destroyed her and saved her soul from eternal purgatory? This is only the beginning of many hunts… as long as these gentlemen with you don't wet their pants. Now, I've honored our agreement so let's get on with it. Okies? Besides, how can you be sure you weren't the one that was followed, Bishop Crane?"

Winmore was not sure if Victor was hinting about the issue with the Iscariots or not but he wasn't about to suggest it. Perhaps, after tonight, he would cease the Sacrifices until the Iscariot backed off and returned to Rome. Hopefully, they would do so sooner than later. He would have cancelled the hunt tonight but there were some heavy investors looking forward to playing vampire hunter and he could not let them down. "I've been here at the cemetery for over an hour, waiting for you… I haven't seen anyone," he told Victor.

"True vampires are harder to detect," Victor replied knowingly. "If they don't want to be found you won't find one."

"What about Megan?" Someone asked, interrupting Victor and Crane's one-sided conversation.

Victor mused. "She's not a true vampire, not unless she eats one of you. Don't you all know that unless the Bishop here forgot to mention how it all works?"

The group all glanced at each other uncertainly.

"I hate to say it but this place gives me the creeps," said one of the hunters, his face anonymous behind his hunting gear. "Any minute I feel like that Michael Jackson video is going to become real. First it starts with a simple tire blow-out and then _blam—_ zombies are crawling out of the graves with sole intent to eat us."

"What kind of crap are you watching?" another hunter asked. "I can't believe you still watch that stuff. It's nearly fifty years old. Seriously, why did you even join this hunt? You have more money than brains?"

"Listen man, I promised my girlfriend a vampire fang and the only way to get one is to kill one of these sons-of-bitches. Now, if you don't shut your hole, we can settle things right here. How 'bout it?" The guy looked ready for a fight.

Victor gave another dark chuckle and looked at the two men in black covert gear. He could not see their faces, but he bet if he could, that they would look like the world's biggest dickheads. "Are you two finished with yer shit?" he asked them. "The least you can do is pretend to be serious about this. Winmore, are these the kind of people you call Hunters— _really?_ "

Winmore Crane directed his face towards the two men causing trouble. They looked like two glowing green beings behind the night goggles. He sighed noticeably. "Look, things are getting out of hand… everyone is on edge because of the tire and we've been in this cemetery for too long. We are hunters here to do God's work. Stop acting like a bunch of shits or I guarantee the punishment will not be graceful."

The two men immediately recalled what happened to their axed comrade just a little while ago… chopped to pieces.

The hunter getting the snappy retort from his leader replied, "My apologies Bishop Crane… I—I stepped out of line. It's Thomas who keeps egging me on."

"What…?" Thomas countered. "I think it was a mistake to bring Justin along. I told you he wasn't ready for this kind of sacred task at the last meeting."

"We don't have time for this crap!" Victor barked at them, losing his patience.

Abandoning their van, the group of hunters headed for the crypts by foot.

Alucard stepped out from behind an old yew tree. These fools were going to be a pleasure to kill, a pleasure to fill their minds with trepidation. These humans disgusted him. Blind, foolish mortals with an appetite for meaningless murder and suffering, there was no honour in what they were doing tonight. Like the coyote in the hen house, he would pick them off one by one like newborn chicks.

It has been much too long since he had any real fun.

Even if Don Carlos was a yawn fest, the remainder of the night was still fresh in his mind. The kiss on the terrace. Integra's confessions. Her feisty slap.

His beloved master looked so beautiful tonight.

And to think that arrogant hybrid ended his night early and tried to frame him again _burned_ him up inside. Alucard was going to make him seriously regret that decision. Oh yes, Victor would be his last victim, the nosferatu decided. He could not wait to make that half-breed squeal while he ripped him apart limb by limb.

* * *

Megan Blackwood looked up sharply after someone called out her name. "Who's there?" she wondered with slight panic, her voice sweet. "Is that you, master? Do I have to eat someone now?"

Seras came out of the shadows and revealed herself to the younger female. "I'm not an enemy, Megan. I mean you no harm. My name is Seras Victoria and I am with the Hellsing Organization. I'm here to help you."

The girl seemed unsure as she spied over the other blonde-haired woman with her burgundy coloured, army-like uniform with its short skirt and long stockings. Her hazel eyes met up with red ones and she blinked, stupefied. "Oh? Are you a vampire?"

"Yes, I am. I have been a vampire for thirty years, which is fairly young in terms of our kind. I have two wonderful masters to whom I would give my life to protect if I had to," she shared with the fellow vampire. "They mean the world to me."

At this the other girl looked away unsure again. "Why have I become this…?" she questioned. "My master, he says… he says I must drink blood but I don't want to do that, yet, no matter how much I hate the idea, there is something inside of me that cannot think of anything else. I feel so weak."

Seras could tell she had yet to drink blood for her eyes were still a human colour. "I know it's hard but if you want to continue to live you _must_ drink it eventually. I never drink human blood from the vein, you know… I only did once." She placed her hand to her chest as she thought about Captain Bernadotte for a moment. "My master supplies me with donated blood from the hospital. I've learned to accept that I cannot protect those I care about at my fullest unless I'm strong."

All of this made no sense to Megan. "My master said tonight I have to drink. He told me to wait here while he fetches me a few humans somewhere in this cemetery. I've been waiting around but he hasn't come back. I'm scared. I don't know what is happening to me, everything is so much louder, brighter and I can hear your heart beating from here." She placed her head in her hands in grief. "I don't want to bite people."

She began to cry. The precious blood she had in her, leaked from her eyes.

Seras was speechless but the girl continued to speak over her gentle crying, lifting her head up once more. "I've been living in this cemetery for the last couple of days… why does the sun hurt? I don't know where to go, my master wants me to stay here. All I want is to go home—home to my parents... they must be so worried about me, but I know I'm not myself anymore. Is this what it's like to be a vampire? Why did he make me into this?"

Seras took a few steps closer. She placed her Harkonnen against the concrete wall of the whitewashed crypt and took Megan's cold hands in her own. The girl clung to her fingers in raw desperation.

"Listen, your master is not a nice man, he's a monster—a _real_ monster. There are monsters like him in this world and there are monsters like me who do not always need to be evil. We do exist, even if we are quite small in number." Seras thought of her master Alucard. "Well… it might only be me. Look, your master is deceiving you for his own personal gain and you don't have to do what he says. You could break away from that bond he has with you if you drink blood… you could be strong, like me. You can drink my blood. You could come with me."

The girl sniffled and wiped away a tear from her pretty face, smearing red along the back of her hand. "Go with you… drink your blood?"

"Yes, the Hellsing Organization has a huge headquarters that could easily house you. Together we can fight evil monsters, protect this world and the people that live in it. You could start a new life there."

Seras had so much hope in her voice. She was broken out of her trance when the earpiece she had attached to her ear suddenly crackled with a voice from Hellsing Intelligence.

_"Seras, we were digging around, looking at some old infrastructure maps of the area you're in and you're not going to believe it, but there are some old World War I and World War II tunnels networking to various buildings in your location. Over. Be on the lookout for anything suspicious."_

"Roger." She confirmed and frowned while speaking to Intelligence."Send in the backup. Keep on the perimeter of my location and do not make yourself obvious. I'll let you know if we need your help. Over."

* * *

A strange ominous fog gradually grew thicker around the group of Hunters as they continued along the road in the cemetery, headed for the vaulted tombs. It grew so thick and dense that it got difficult to see each other unless they stood close together.

Victor quickly stopped and looked around. He sniffed the air for a moment, and then he looked around carefully.

"What is it?" Winmore questioned.

"I dunno," replied the hybrid cautiously. "This fog… it's getting _really_ thick. You boys need to keep your eyes peeled. The danger level just went up a few notches."

"Yes, sir!" A few answered.

One of the men trailing behind, turned to look around to make sure no one was following when a red figure materialised out of the fog like a ghost, holding a gloved finger up to his lips. The look of surprise was as far as the hunter got before the figure reached out, snapped his neck and dragged him away in total silence.

No one noticed a thing.

"Stay close together," advised Victor Payne. "We're almost there."

Alucard dumped the body on top of an old sunken grave on the side of the road. It was time for that fun now. He knew Seras had found Megan, but she still had taken no action against the newborn. He would buy his fledgling a little more time.

The old vampire kept his distance a few meters behind, hidden within the fog, walking steadily after the hunters while he summoned his faithful servants of the night.

The road beneath the hunter's feet turned black as if ink split and steeped across the page, all the bumps and cracks of the preceding asphalt disappeared. Then a swarm of red eyes in various sizes all winked opened under their boots and spiders… thousands of black spiders, began to crawl up the hunter's boots and pant legs.

Crane's men began to clamour. They frantically tried to get off the road littered with the haunting moving eyes.

One of them was not so lucky.

A menacing chuckle accompanied the swarm of spiders and eyes like a malevolent echo. Sprouted from the blackness of the road came six reddish-black shadow arms all with hands covered in white gloves. It grabbed one of the hunters by the leg and literally dragged him down into the mire as if he sank into a giant puddle of mud.

His horrified screams came to a swift end.

The people that managed to get off the road and onto the grass and graves, away from the eyes, still had spiders scrambling up their bodies like tiny merciless soldiers. It disoriented them and created panic. The armed men flailed about and swiped at the insects furiously. One man, in his wild terror, accidently pulled the trigger on his Uzi and the submachine gun sprayed bullets aimlessly, hitting gravestones, flying through tree leaves and dirt.

It even ripped through one of the hunters, killing him instantly.

"What the fuck is going on!" A man hollered, taking a few shots at the red eyes with his high-powered rifle. His efforts did nothing to stop the strange visage.

Alucard was revelling in his fun, laughing it up, when someone appeared behind him in the fog. He was not surprised to discover it was the hybrid, Victor, the man pretending to be him all over town. The crossbreed was a whole foot shorter than Alucard was but he still managed to knock the red fedora off his head. Victor thrust the muzzle of his gun into the back of his skull and Alucard's unruly black hair fell over his eyes, partially obscuring his vision.

The vampire king smirked. Instantly, all the eyes, spiders and fog… disappeared.

"Why are you here, No Life King?" Victor asked with a slight tremor of dread in his voice, pressing the gun harder into Alucard's skull. "I don't understand how did you find me?"

"There is a lot about this world that you do not understand, you snivelling crossbreed," Alucard jeered, even if a part of him was impressed that the hybrid risked getting this close to him. He could sense the other creature's fear he could nearly taste it on his tongue, yet, Victor still risked being this close. "It wasn't you that led me here." He explained. "Although… I would have found you eventually, especially after you all but sat on my lap at the opera. You thought you were being clever, messing with me, ripping up that young girl, killing her boyfriend. No. One cannot forget the horrible stench of a freak like you. However, you are not the man Hellsing has been trailing... we have the Catholic priest here to thank for killing those two birds."

Victor tossed Winmore Crane a furious look.

"Hellsing…?" repeated the big sturdy bishop, whose eyes widened behind his night goggles. He took an involuntary step back. He did not sound as tough and as mean as he did earlier. "It—it's _you!_ The rumours are true. It's Hellsing's vampire, Alucard!" he squawked with almost tangible fear, holding out his rifle loaded with blessed silver bullets. His hands shook at the sight of world's most notorious vampire, a vampire he had only heard wild tales about. Dear Lord, he was _real_ and he was standing right before his eyes like a vision of Death himself.

Alucard laughed nefariously at the sight, his chuckle low and deep. "That's right, Father, here I am. It seems that you have upset some balance of power and attracted a bit too much attention to yourself. The Iscariot Organization and now Hellsing is aware of your misconduct. You screwed up. Burning vampires that _you_ created—turning Megan Blackwood into a vampire for this pathetic hunt, using her and those other girls to frame me. What game are you and this half-breed playing at? Tell me," he growled, "Why are you trying to defame Hellsing? What is your motivation?"

Winmore shook his head. "I had nothing to do with any kind of framing and I have nothing against Hellsing. I saw you on the news like everyone else… you turned the girl that we are hunting for this evening into a monster. She deserves to be set free of that curse, free to embrace the pure body of the Lord. Instead, she walks the earth drinking the blood of humans."

It occurred to Alucard that Winmore Crane had absolutely no idea that Victor was a shape-shifter and that it was he that turned Megan Blackwood into a vampire.

"And what of the vampires you create to burn for your ritual?" Alucard demanded, trying to figure out how Crane fits into all of this.

"What do you mean?" Winmore retort. "I _never_ created the vampires! My Seekers—like Victor here—find them and bring them to me. That is their role. I don't know what you're talking about. I don't care about the Hellsing Organization. I'm a servant of God—a holy warrior placed on this earth to rid it of monsters." Bishop Crane seemed to regain some of his vigor and held his rifle pointed at the vampire indignantly. "The people of this country need a real leader to show them how to protect themselves from the creatures that would harm them. They don't need bureaucrats that hide behind gilded doors, they need the church, pure honest people to lead them. It was my calling to unite the Holy Hunters and teach them how to survive should London ever go to war with those foul monsters again."

"Shut up!" Victor ordered him viciously.

"I will not. This is _your_ fault, Victor!" Crane accused suddenly, sounding frantic "You and your unholy kind have angered the mightiest of beasts. And here he is! Here stands the Black Marksmen in judgement before us! No… _no!_ I never wanted to deal with you or _him_. This was all his idea! It was his idea to host The Sacrifice. You were the ones who found the creatures…"

And just like that, Winmore Crane's body language changed as if he'd only just woke up, he straightened sharply. He became silent. Then he gasped with a revelation.

"Wait, was that all a lie?" he murmured at Victor. "Did you and your organization _create_ the vampires for our ritual and this hunt? Are you the one that turned Megan Blackwood?" Crane sounded shocked as the correlations began to fit, began to make more sense. "That's why the Iscariots are investigating my diocese, my parish community. You brought this evil upon me! I'll fucking kill you!"

Victor was gnashing his teeth. "You're a fool, Bishop. A stupid deranged fool!" He pulled the trigger that he still held to Alucard's head.

The back part of Alucard's head exploded in a giant burst of black and red. Blood and bits of skull flew in the direction of the hunters, pelting their goggles with vampire matter. His round glasses, knocked from his face, fell to the asphalt and shattered like orange glitter.

Victor swiftly shifted into the form of a black greyhound dog and scampered off between the gravestones, leaving Winmore and his group behind to fend for themselves.

"Do you really think that is all it takes to stop me?" Alucard roared angrily and snarled after Victor's cowardly retreat. "I am coming for you, Victor!" Even with half his head blown away, Alucard was still able to grab his prized new hand cannon out of his jacket. It was an intimidating gun weighing at 14 kilos with a 12-inch slide containing a high capacity magazine capable of 10 rounds plus one in the chamber. It came with a dark grey Nitron finish, making it extremely corrosion resistant and gave it a more futuristic shape than that of the long straight Casull. It appeared more like a small combat rifle with finger grips and bulk along the barrel, which counteracted the recoil.

Integra's custom-made gift made Alucard breathless when he held it.

Having a weapon stronger than the Casull was necessary in these times of progressing technology and with it, potentially stronger opponents. Who knows exactly what this era has in store for him. With any luck, he would meet someone like Anderson again, he hoped.

Pointing the gun towards the escaping half-breed, Alucard fired three twelve millimetre hollow point bullets made entirely of blessed silver and capable of exploding like an opening flower once it hits its target, expelling fragments of silver like a hand grenade.

The shape-shifter was fast enough to dodge all the shots, which obliterated the tops of two grave markers and one tree branch that came crashing to the ground.

Winmore and the group of hunters stood by gaping at the legendary vampire in the long red coat, who had the entire back part of his head blown away, blood streaking down his sallow face. It all happened so fast that they barely knew what was happening, their human eyes incapable of seeing it. The big vampire looked monstrous and gruesome, like a possessed demon with eyes of fire and hair that writhed like snakes.

Alucard was already repairing himself. "Wonderful! It seems that crossbreed is going to put up a good chase, but first—" He pointed the Professional and then withdrew the Casull from inside his coat, pointing both guns at Winmore Crane and his remaining thugs.

"—we still have business to settle here. I'm afraid I can't let you live, Father."

* * *

Victor changed back into the form of a man once he was clear of gunshots and caught his breath. He frantically dug his mobile out of his suit jacket and dialed a number while up in a tree, hidden in the foliage. He knew it would not take long for Alucard to finish with Winmore, so he needed to act fast.

Someone answered on the third ring. "Hello—Victor…? Is that you?"

"My lord, Sergiu, I am very sorry to bother you but Hellsing is here! It's fucking Alucard." He sounded on the verge of panic, and rightly so. "I don't know how they knew I'd be here but it appears they were onto Crane for the last few days. What should I do?"

"Those fucking Iscariot bastards!" Sergiu hissed through the phone. "I swear they'll stop at nothing even if it means kissing their enemies boots. I _will not_ let them have her! I've been alone too long in this tedious life… I only just found her. We have so much catching up to do."

"You don't have to worry about that, my lord. The mission at the London Opera Ball went flawlessly, just as you envisioned, but the Twelve has yet to give the order and now Alucard is freaking here ruining everything. Argh! Why do we still work with Crane and his stupid sect of religious freaks?"

There was a long, painful string of silence on the other end of the phone until Sergiu began to chuckle darkly. "Never mind Crane," he said finally. "I have a new plan. After tonight, the Twelve will have _every_ reason to lock up our dark prince and his sidekick. Use the tunnels and come to St. George's Cathedral. There's an evening mass here tonight. Lots of fun."

Victor was not following along with his boss's brainchild just yet. "There's no way to escape that old bat and his slutty little fledgling. Now that they know I'm here. I'm as good as dead." Victor sighed dejectedly. This was not how he envisioned things to work out. "I've failed you, my lord."

"No… no, you've done splendidly, my darling Victor," Sergiu insisted softly, his voice almost loving. "You know, a wise man once warned me to stay clear of doing business with the church, that it is indeed the best way to dig an early grave. Gage was correct, I should have listened to him… we did not really need Crane's money or his status. I had hoped that Winmore would build a worthy army of vampire hunters—it was profitable, his followers are loyal if not complete idiots. We'll stick to our original plan." He took a deep breath filled with regret followed by sad puffs of laughter. "But right now is not the time to wallow and lament. Forget about Winmore we do not need him anymore. Let Hellsing's dogs follow you to the cathedral," Sergiu advised. "It will lead to our ultimate prize. Any prize that big cannot be won so easily, it requires hard work but it will be worth it. Mmm, I can taste it already. Besides, I have a little surprise in store for Seras Victoria. I'm sure you'll agree it's quite fitting after you see it."

Victor's smile went from ear to ear. "You don't say? Well, I can't wait."

* * *

The two female vampires heard the commotion going on nearby, men screaming from whatever horrors were terrorizing them. It all began so fast with a cacophony of guns firing and trees breaking, and then it stopped all at once.

"What's happening over there?" questioned Megan frightfully, eyes looking in the direction of the racket.

"That's my master, Alucard," Seras replied somewhat proudly. "He's trying to stop the people that have come here to kill you. The man that you call 'master' is with those people. He never intended for them to be your supper," she told her. "He is the one leading them here to end you, as if you are some kind of trophy, but I'm not going to let them do that."

"That's what you think."

"Master…!" Both Seras and Megan said at the same time as a tall man in a long red coat, floppy hat and orange glasses unveiled his countenance slowly from the shadows.

Seras frowned immediately, this was not Alucard she could sense it. She grabbed Megan in a proficient headlock and shoved the pistol that she carried on her hip next to the blonde girl's temple with such speed that even Victor barely saw it. "Stop where you are or I'll kill her, Victor!"

"You go right ahead and do that, Seras Victoria. The Bishop and his hunters are being slaughtered as you speak—I have no use for that girl any longer."

Seras blinked in confusion— _what?_

* * *

"Everyone calm down and listen. Don't shoot!" Crane pleaded of his hunters as much as he pleaded with Alucard who stood before him pointing a pair of deadly looking guns at them. He watched how a whirl of shadow seemed to fuse the damaged vampire back together, blood receding from his skin, skull and hair shaping back into place, returning him to a state of omneity, appearing the way he did before his head was blown to bits.

The hunters heard the bishop's command but still held their guns at the red-clad monster. It seemed they held their ridged, frozen position more from fear.

Winmore tore off his balaclava and night vision goggles, revealing untidy brown hair and a handsome chin covered with stubble.

"You don't understand, vampire," he said. "I was a boy during the Battle of London or The Zeppelin Affair as _they_ like to call it. My real parents were eaten alive by monsters roaming the streets wearing old Nazi uniforms. It was like World War 2 in the middle of downtown London! How quickly the pleasant evening became a night of hell. I swore I would never submit to monsters like those that destroyed everything I loved that night. It was then that I swore I would devote my life to God and to being strong. It was that day… that moment, that I was chosen to be a Hunter," Bishop Crane revealed, believing with his whole heart that what he said was virtuous and right. "A brave man, a priest of a small church, a selfless man of God, shielded me with his body and those Nazi vampires never found me. They never found me even as the streets became red with bloodshed. They never found me even as the man protecting me died from his wounds and I cowered beneath him, using his corpse as my blanket of protection. Those cries of pain… of death… oh, how they still ring loudly in my mind at night. I continued that priests' work… he was my saviour."

Alucard stared at the holy man who stood there looking tortured with his past. And he thought, even after thirty years, victims of that battle were still walking wounded.

"I'd say somewhere along the way you forgot your true purpose, Father," he told him. In the depths of the man's clear blue eyes, he could see nothing there but chaos. "You've gone mad… do you believe it is God's will to slaughter your own, to revel in their demise? You are not the first to bear the scars of war, scars that warp and twist one's mind. You have fallen privy to someone else's scheme even if you cannot see it through your cloud of madness and greed. Your intentions might seem honourable to you, but at what cost?"

The Bishop grabbed desperately at his head, fingers gripping his hair with two hands. "No! I did everything for my followers. I needed to protect them from miscreants like the Iscariots. Death in the name of the greater good. That's all." He rubbed his face with the heels of his hands and insisted miserably, "That's all…"

"You're right, Father, that's all… now it's time to say your prayers. Say your prayers and meet your maker," Alucard said to the deranged bishop and his merry group of men. His fingers started to squeeze both triggers when suddenly three silent headshots took out the three unknown hunters standing next to Crane, killing them instantly.

The human hunters crumpled to the ground like saggy lifeless scarecrows. Dead.

Winmore lifted his head from his hands in shock and looked down at the dead men at his feet. He felt another presence and turned around, startled as he stared down the barrels of two silver guns equipped with smoking silencers held out by a mangy-looking androgynous man dressed like a priest. There were frayed bandages around the face and eyes hidden behind bluish round glasses. This new assailant wore long dark robes with a lengthy, dangling silver crucifix that glinted while it swung.

"Oh… no," Winmore whimpered. "Iscariots…"

Front and back, Winmore Crane was the target in the crosshairs of both Alucard and Heinkel's handguns.

"That's right, Bishop Vinmore Crane, voo are unver arrest by the order of His Holiness," Heinkel said.

"Vatican Section 13…!" Winmore proclaimed and immediately fell to his knees, holding his hands up in prayer, in a dismal pledge. "I did it for mankind! I did it for them!" Heinkel tore the rifle out of the bishop's hands and dropped it out of reach.

"Ve quite," Heinkel ordered. "Voo have caused enough trouble, murderous vastard."

Another tall, priestly looking man approached, coming out from between the trees situated behind two giant gravestones. He had short wavy dark hair and walked casually towards them with an ever-pleasant calm expression on his scarred face.

"The nosferatu, Alucard," he acknowledged glancing at the vampire with his droopy coral coloured eyes.

"Why good evening, Bishop Makube," Alucard replied just as pleasantly, returning his guns to the inside of his coat, "Fancy seeing the Iscariot Organization here this evening."

"Yes, well… we were in the area and happened to stumble upon your little situation here in the cemetery. I'm afraid we will be taking Mr. Crane with us now," the Iscariot leader insisted.

The vampire king grunted amicably. "People like you never just _stumble_ upon anything. You're lucky. I was just about to put a few bullets into him, ending his miserable insanity."

"Your assistance in this matter will not be overlooked," Makube assured. "Winmore Crane will face holy judgement and the appropriate actions shall be taken. He will tell us everything he knows about this group he has been dealing with and if we find anything of Hellsing's interest, we will contact you."

"I'm sure you will." Alucard did not really care what they did to this pathetic human, even if he was a victim born of the Major's war. "You Catholics really should keep better tabs on your flock," he advised and laughed.

Alucard vanished before their eyes.

Both Iscariot stood looking at the spot where Alucard had been standing. Crane moaned pathetically between them, still on his knees mouthing silent prayers.

Heinkel wondered. "Do ve follow him?"

Makube waved a hand aimlessly. "Perhaps it would be best if we let Hellsing take care of it, let them soil their hands. The Vatican cannot afford to be in the public eye at this moment as we are still recovering our strength. I have told you this before… it is _too_ soon. We'll let Hellsing shed the light on this secret organization that Mr. Crane has been dealing with. And then, perhaps, we will decide which route to take."

"And vhat of our missing paladin… vhat of that mysterious hybrid, Victor? He is an abomination vhat should ve destroyed," Heinkel reasoned. "There could ve more like him and it is our job to exterminate vhem, isn't vhat the purpose of the Iscariot?"

"Patience, Heinkel… patience and all shall be revealed under the eyes of God, something tells me so. Something tells me we shall soon find the answers to all of our questions. Just be patient." Makube told him with a clever smile. "For now we watch and we learn. Come now… let's go somewhere more private and have a discussion with our new friend. Maybe he knows where to find our paladin."

Winmore Crane began to protest until Heinkel Wolfe knocked him out with the butt of her gun to the back of his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some real dirty business going on here. Lots of information...gah! This chapter nearly killed me XD! I imagined that there would totally be victims of that attack on London and that those victims could potentially become real trouble. That is what inspired me to create Winmore Crane. And I was inspired by Dracula's/Alucard's abilities with weather and animals to somewhat rub off on Seras and allow her to learn how to skillfully connect with creatures of darkness, too. It was fun to explore some of that with her.
> 
> Next. Chapter 15 - Voices In My Head. Alucard and Seras face off with Victor and learn some maddening truths to an even bigger picture. Integra tries to hold the fort, but can she?
> 
> Many thanks to any readers and kudos and comments! Much love and rainbows to you all!


	15. Voices In My Head

**St. George's Cathedral - London, August 13th, 11:15 p.m.**

Sergiu's rawhide boots clunked over the ancient concrete floor as he wandered through the eerie old catacombs buried beneath St. George's Cathedral. They led to one of many Victorian era crypts still existing in the subterranean basement of the massive cross-shaped building close to Prospect Cemetery, the same place from where Victor had called him in panic a little while ago. Bishop Winmore Crane was the administrator of this grand cathedral, it was the main church in his aspiring diocese, but Sergiu doubted the man would ever see this place again, especially now that he was in the hands of Section XIII.

Not all was lost.

Crane's incompetency triggered a new-fangled blessing, it gave Sergiu a nice idea to his already marvellous plan, or so he thought. This church held a dark secret, this many centuries old church standing out amid the upper East End. Not even Winmore Crane knew about this secret, and it had been right under his nose the entire time. Sergiu grunted with smug victory, the actions in this place tonight would be the final nail hammered into Alucard and Seras's coffins. He would destroy them both in a way that only Integra Hellsing could destroy them… that is, by having them sealed away.

The Hellsing woman was the key to their ruin, to the everlasting sleep they shall never awaken from—he was just the proxy, the instigator. That was the plan… it was always part of their plan, and it was going perfectly.

To all the worshipers and angelic voices of the choir, enjoying a midnight mass above, a certain hell awaited them in the bowels of this church. A wicked smile spread across Sergiu's tanned face covered with dark stubble that he had neglected to shave off this morning. He walked up to a thick metal door. In his haste, he had forgotten to bring the key that opened this door so he swiftly broke off the handle and with one solid motion, kicked the door down with a booted foot, a difficult task that would give most humans a hard time.

The door slammed to the floor sending up a plume of dust.

As the air cleared in the soft yellow lighting, a pair of brilliant red eyes shone before him in the blackness of the room within.

"It's dinner time, Dolores," Sergiu said, his grin turning diabolical.

* * *

"Victor, let us end this foolish game. Come. Face me like a true warrior!"

Alucard's demand echoed from all directions, as if the shadows themselves could speak. At first, Seras saw no one but she felt her master's presence strongly and a sense of relief came over her. She continued to point the pistol to the side of the Megan's head even though the girl did not whimper or try to fight her way out of the hold she had on her.

The look-alike Alucard began to laugh as if he had just heard the funniest joke. He yanked the door open to a flight of stairs leading down to a crypt and turned around to see the vampire king materialise next to Seras and the girl.

"Our fight is not in this place, my friend. If it's a battle you want then you'll have to come and get it," Victor dared with a fiendish smirk, his expression the exact same as the real Alucard who was also smirking.

Seras and Megan found themselves glancing back and forth between the two identical men in long red dusters, red fedora and elaborately knotted neckties. Yet, one wore sunglasses and one did not.

"I really don't care where you take this fight, Victor. I will still rip the limbs from your body, your screams will deafen your own ears," Alucard promised gravely. "Your blood will tell me everything I need to know about you and the pitiable gang you are working for."

Again, Victor laughed but this time incredulously. "Wow… you really _are_ a monster, aren't you, noble vampire? I'm trembling." With that final taunt, the hybrid dashed into the crypt and disappeared into the gloom within.

Alucard hastily took a step towards the vault.

"Hold on!" Seras hollered and her master halted in mid-step, turning around to glare at her impatiently. "I've been informed by intel that there is a series of old war tunnels down there leading to various buildings surrounding the area," she explained. "Master, this could be a trap. We _must_ inform Sir Integra before we proceed."

Realising that Seras still needed to deal with Megan Blackwood, Alucard's expression softened a little and he scoffed. However, his gaze returned to the direction that Victor Payne just went, feeling an eager trill of excitement coursing through his undead veins. This chase was approaching the finish line and he could only imagine the kinds of tricks Victor was going to unleash unto him.

"That crossbreed is a lot more interesting than I ever imagined," he mused, sharing his thoughts aloud. "This Victor character: he's an extraordinary creature for a hybrid if he has the power to create a vampire. Most hybrids aren't immortal. No one is. They generally live longer than the average human does. The vampire nature must run strongly through him. I am impressed. It's been much too long since I had this much fun."

 _"Fun… Extraordinary...?"_ Seras repeated in disbelief. "Get real, master. This whole thing smells rotten. I think he's luring us to follow him into that tunnel. Why, I bet he has a whole army down there just waiting for us."

The picture Seras painted made Alucard all the more eager. "That would be most welcoming," he admitted. He looked back over at Seras and then at the girl. "So, what do you plan to do about her?" Alucard took a moment to study over Megan and the girl looked away shyly.

Sears realised she was still holding Megan Blackwood in a headlock, much to her mortification, and quickly let her go. "Oh, I'm _so_ sorry," she told the girl, replacing the handgun to a holster at her hip and backing off. "It was only a tactic to deter Victor—you know, your master—from doing anything rash, but it seems his plans have changed entirely. I was never going to hurt you."

Seras looked solemnly at the ground, her crimson coloured eyes darkened.

"I understand," Megan said quietly and dared now to ask the tall red-clad vampire a question. "Why does that other man look like you?" she wondered, stealing a glance at him.

Alucard held nothing back.

"That man is half human and half vampire, formally they are called dhampirs but most call them hybrids. Victor Payne is such a creature with a remarkable ability to change his form into anything he wishes. As you can see, he can even look like me. It can take decades for a true vampire to learn such a skill. And it's common for half-breeds to acquire a few vampire traits like shape shifting… sometimes they acquire all sorts of traits. Some hybrids are even more powerful than a full-fledged vampire is, due to the fact they do not possess the same weaknesses the vampire does, like sunlight or enervation to silver. There was probably a fifty percent chance that you even turned at all," he explained to Megan in a tone that was almost parental. "I guess he got lucky. As I mentioned, hybrids are not truly immortal, some detest the taste of blood and can still survive from human food, however, they will grow old and wither, they age like any other mortal and only blood will keep them eternal and help them retain their vampire strengths. My guess is Victor turned you because someone ordered him to. You are simply a pawn in someone's twisted game."

Megan simply stared at him. "Kill me…"

Alucard's brows knotted and Seras's mouth dropped open in a gasp

 _"What?"_ Seras said.

"Kill me," Megan beseeched again. "I don't want this… I don't want these lies. I can't return home like this. I can't return to anything… _please_ , just set me free."

It took Seras a moment to find the words, because inside she felt a ripple of anger, of epic disappointment, sadness.

"How can you give up so easily?" she heard herself say over the frantic drumming of her heart. "Don't you want to fight against those that hurt you like this? Come with us and you can have that… being a vampire is not so bad," she assured. "It takes time to get used to it, but you will, and soon you'll realise that nothing can frighten you… that there is nothing to be afraid of."

Alucard remained silent and observed.

"It all sounds so good the way you say it, Seras," Megan replied softly, a kind, innocent demeanor about her. "But I'm not like you. I will never _'get used to it'_. I do not want to fight. I do not want to kill anyone. I just want to go home and see my parents. I want to talk to my friends and go to school… but now, I can't. That's all over. I'm a… _a monster!_ I'm dead—don't you see? _I'm already dead!_ "

Seras was at a lost. She looked at her master desperately for assistance. _Oh man, what do I do?_ But Alucard said nothing, only his scowl grew fiercer. She spread her hands out before the girl in appeal. "You cannot ask me to kill you, Megan… please, anything but that. You could stay with us at Hellsing headquarters, surely Integra wouldn't mind. You could have your own room… I could protect you."

Megan smiled modestly. "You sound like a wonderful person Seras, and that's good. I'm sure you make a great vampire, you seem so strong. I hope you never change, but… I cannot go with you… I don't want to be a person that lives off the blood of others, a creature that roams the night and is afraid of the day. _Please_ ," she begged again, "Release me from this horrible curse!"

Alucard withdrew the Casull from his coat. He could not bear to listen to the miserable young vampire's pleas a second longer. "Shall I put her out of her misery?"

"No!" Seras snapped at him angrily and sighed. "No…" she repeated more calmly, "I can't ask you to do that."

"Unlike you, I will not hesitate. You're much too soft and she has made her decision," the old vampire professed. "It's an honourable choice."

Seras's eyes flared intensely at her master. "But it is _not_ your place to do it," she replied stubbornly. "I will do it, just… just give me a bloody moment."

Alucard's eyes widened. "Well then… we don't have all night," he muttered and wandered off towards the entrance of the tomb, leaving Seras to deal with her demons alone.

* * *

**Hellsing Headquarters, 11:31 p.m.**

Integra all but slumped into her chair behind her desk in her office and sat utterly still for a brief moment, gathering her strength. She sat in the dark. She sat with all the phones on silent. She closed off all communications. She sat there alone soaking up the lull of peace and quiet. Even her attendant, Lilith, was nowhere to be found.

What a harrowing evening…

She closed her eyes, but each time she did, she saw the accusation on Dagwood's face, blaming her for the death of his precious daughter, blaming Hellsing for all that has gone wrong, blaming Alucard for crimes he did not commit. The Hellsing woman scoffed with bitterness. He should know better than most, that high status does not protect them from the grim reality of evil. Unexpectedly evil lurks, waiting, taunting any victim it chooses.

Integra knew that better than most people did.

However, a strong solider gets back up on their feet and fights… they fight until there is not a single breath left inside of them to breathe. Giving up makes you a victim. Backing down means death. Only if you are lucky enough, the fight ends with a glorious death, a death that people speak of for decades to come. Integra would not end her fight here.

The people trying to ruin her would only pay in more pain for she would stop at nothing to stop them.

The corner of Integra's mouth curved up with a tenacious smirk while she reached out for one of her cigars and the lighter. The tobacco burned brightly, crisply, as she inhaled the warm smoke and said quietly to the big empty room, "The match is reaching its final set, soon I will know who my opponent truly is."

Shaking off the drama of the evening, she reached out for her phone and called Alucard. She had to deal with the most important business first and assess the current mission at hand. Her vampire answered on the sixth ring, much to her annoyance.

"I want a status report," she demanded straight away.

"What? No 'good evening' or 'how are you?'" he replied smoothly. "Tell me, are you still wearing that dress?"

Integra glanced down her front at the dress she wore to the ball. "Never mind all that. I want to know what is happening with Bishop Crane and that hybrid, Alucard. Right now, emotions are controlling many influential people's decisions and I am not at liberty to stop them. Hellsing is in jeopardy. We need find out who is behind this once and for all."

"Well, I was just about to call you anyways." Alucard replied and explained about the secret tunnel Victor ran into and all that had happened at the cemetery. "And once again the oh-so valiant Iscariot appeared just in time to stick their noses into my business. Those dogs are just waiting to dig up the bones we bury, Integra. They are not to be trusted."

"Yes, but it's not the Iscariot we need to worry about. Let them scavenge. We are not running away with our tails between our legs. We no longer have Crane to worry about now the Vatican has him. You, however, will locate Victor Payne and you will have him reveal all that he knows about the organization trying to ruin Hellsing."

"And if there are obstacles?"

"Then you will crush them."

"Excellent. Now… if only Seras would hurry up and finish off our dear Megan Blackwood." Alucard told her.

Integra took in a sudden breath. "Megan. I had forgotten about the girl. What do you mean by 'finish off'?" She was almost sorry she asked because she understood what Alucard meant the moment the words left her mouth.

"Megan Blackwood unequivocally declines the life of a vampire. She refuses to accept the dark path set out before her. Her bravery is commendable."

Integra heard the envious and derisive tone in his voice. She knew that Alucard had finally come to accept his immortality but a part of him was still angry at how he turned his back on his humanity with such recreance, succumbing to the monster within that was too afraid to die. "Then she has made her choice, it's probably for the best… there is nothing else you can do but—"

A gunshot interrupted the conversation.

"…I believe that wait is finally over." He injected without a hint of remorse.

"Oh… Seras…" Integra whispered crestfallen into the phone. A long ash fell from the smoldering cigar she held between her fingers, landing atop the desk like black snow. She knew how difficult something like this was for Seras, the vampire still unable to let go of her human-like empathy.

There was a long, heavy pause full of tension over the phone until Alucard spoke up.

"What are your orders, Master?"

Integra crushed her cigar out in the ashtray. "I order you and Seras to search and destroy. Search and destroy! Find those fanatical bastards and rip out their hearts. They will learn what it means to mess with those I hold dear." She could feel the pain that surely Seras was feeling in her heart.

Alucard chuckled. "You know I would do anything you desire, Master. It shall be done. I will relay the message to Seras."

Integra clenched her teeth, frustrated that she was not there to comfort Seras when she needed it most. "Just be vigilant, no doubt Victor has something up his sleeve. Tread carefully. And tell Seras that… tell her that… I'm sorry." Without another word, Integra hung up the phone and expelled a heavy sigh.

Before she had time to process the awful feeling wrenching in her gut, the door to her office swung open allowing the hallway light to spill into the dark room. At first, the glare made her blink. In the doorway stood both Marvin, the head of Hellsing Intelligence and Judy, her personal housekeeper.

"Good evening, Sir," Marvin said formally and wandered into the room. "Now that you're home, we wondered if we could have a moment of your time. You see, Judy came to me last night and I looked into this issue thoroughly before deciding to come to you."

"Yes," Judy added. "There is something you ought to know right away but we don't want the wrong ears hearing. If you know what I mean."

"Crucial information…" Marvin insisted pensively. " _Very_ _crucial._ "

"Of course," Integra replied, reaching up to pull out the hairpins, letting her long mane of blonde hair spill down her back. "Don't mind my attire… I have not had the chance to change into something normal since I returned moments ago. The night has been a total disaster as you know and I needed a moment."

"And just so you know you looked fabulous tonight, my dear. _So pretty._ I am terribly sorry to hear it did not go as intended. But I'll fix you up with a nice change of clothing that you're more comfortable with and a hot cup of tea after we speak to you." Judy offered kindly.

"I would be grateful for that," Integra assured her. "Now please, come in and close the door."

"Lilith isn't around, is she?" Marvin wondered carefully.

Integra frowned. "No, I don't think she's here."

Marvin and Judy glanced at each other.

* * *

Seras was exceedingly quiet the entire time they walked through the underground tunnel that branched off the crypt at the cemetery. It appeared to be leading them towards St. George's Cathedral which Intelligence informed, was the direction they were headed in, on their radar. Commander Lister also informed that they were surrounding the church in case anything went wrong.

Somewhere outside, Seras could hear the faint sound of a helicopter flying overhead.

"You know this could be a dangerous situation," Alucard informed his fledgling.

The female draculina wore a deadpanned look as her eyes burned with silent festering rage. "Good, because I'm in the mood for a little ass-kicking," she retort sourly. "It's time someone put a stop to these assholes who think they can do whatever the fuck they want. I'll tear them to shreds."

Alucard enjoyed her enthusiasm but he knew it stemmed from the flower of her despair. "That's all fine and dandy," he began. "But losing your head is what gets you killed. These guys have been playing us like fools up till now, and I'm afraid it's about to get a lot worse."

"Worse…?" Seras flashed her gaze at him. "How do you know?"

"Can you not smell it, sense it?" He asked. "The bloodshed..."

Seras was so wrapped up in her misery that she was ignoring her senses altogether. "Oh! I smell it now. It's coming from the church."

"Yes, it is. We need to be on the same page." Alucard reminded her of the very thing she requested of him a week ago at the William Lane farm. "We need to work together or all of this strife will have been for nothing."

Seras frowned with confusion. "Are you trying to tell me not to rip them to shreds, Master?"

Alucard revelled in her naiveté sometimes and laughed. "Oh, on the contrary… let the beast that resides in you rampage, my dear. What I am saying, is that you need to remain focused. I know what happened to Megan was unjust; she did not deserve to die that way, but you did the fairest thing anyone could do for her. Her soul is not chained to a life she cannot bear to live. That in itself is a whole other hell that you have rescued her from."

Seras sighed. "I know… and you're right, Master. It's just… she gave up so easily without any fight at all."

"Not everybody is made of the same kind of mettle, Seras Victoria. Now, it's time to be prepared for anything. Victor is waiting for us," the king of vampires advised looking ahead of the pitch-black tunnel filled with the scent of old earth and blood.

The end of the tunnel revealed a door that was already open to a set of ascending stairs, the exit glowing faintly above them with harsh white light of a streetlamp. The exit brought them outside of the cathedral, not inside as they imagined, but to the parking lot close to the dumpsters. A heavy iron door lay open next to the stairway they just left.

"Now I suppose we find a way in," Alucard suggested.

"Looks that way," Seras agreed and was not surprised to discover Alucard intended to walk right through the front door.

When they got to the main entrance, they found two ordinary people standing outside of it, a man and a woman, curiously wondering why the doors were locked when a concert was going on inside and why a few armoured vehicles were parked along the road so close to the church. Apparently, they were here to pick up a friend who was part of the choir after mass was finished, which was supposed to be now.

"Something's not right," Seras muttered but she already knew that since the stench of blood and death was even stronger than it was before.

Alucard excused himself and placed his hand on the curved iron door handle. He pulled and the door opened amid the loud snap of metal and wood that easily gave way to his monstrous strength.

"Why look, it opened," he said amiably to the onlookers who watched him as if he had just performed a magic trick, their hands clapped over their ears, their eyes opened wide. The crack of metal and wood was as loud as a gunshot to them. Then Alucard gazed at them steadily and began to murmur softly, "There's nothing to worry about, go home. Go… get into your car and drive away."

He repeated that a few times, hypnotising the two humans.

Seras watched the man and woman stare at Alucard with such intensity she didn't know what was happening at first. They calmly lowered their hands from their ears as if in a daze and their faces became peaceful and slack. She realised her master was compelling them to leave the premises.

The two people obediently turned and wandered down the front steps to the street and down the sidewalk to their car.

"That was amazing, Master!"

"It was nothing you should not be able to do yourself. Now, let's go."

They entered the enormous cathedral, which was so silent it almost vibrated in their ears. There was not even a hushed voice, only the mice scampering around between the walls, the wind outside pressing against the structure. There was nothing coming from the other side of the doors leading to the nave of the church where the worshippers should be congregating.

Seras pulled open another set of finely crafted doors, ready to grab her Harkonnen if need be. She unveiled the main area of the beautiful cathedral, a long open space filled with rows and rows of wooden pews, an incredibly high vaulted ceiling with long rafter joists leading to the golden altar at the far end. Rows of chandeliers brightened the space from stem to stern, and on their left and right, racks of votive candles burning in front of some saintly shrine, full of monetary donations. The lancet windows, beyond the rows of columns separating the outer aisles, lined the walls filled with decorated stained glass depicting images of Christ and saints were dim against the dark sky beyond their panes.

"I know you are here!" boomed Alucard standing in the middle of the aisle, Seras at his side. "Why continue with this charade?"

"Yeah! Show yourself you pig!" Seras provided fiercely.

Something stirred around the altar at the other end that stood before the choirs section at the farthest end of the church, backed by tall gilded organ pipes.

However, it wasn't Victor. It was a woman.

In fact, it was a nun in a tattered black Roman Catholic habit with a bloodied white neck coif, bandeau and black veil. The woman snarled at them revealing fangs red with fresh blood that also dripped off her pale chin and the whole place came alive with ghouls. At least fifty ghouls! They sprung up from behind the wooden benches, undead worshipers, clergy and choir members, their greyish skin entering the early stages of putrefaction.

"Ha! I'm so pleased to see you both accepted my invitation. Dolores and I have created a special welcoming gift for you," Victor announced as he approached the altar spreading out his arms in mock greeting, appearing as he did at the ball with his short spiky black hair and young face and broad nose. He wore the black cargo pants Winmore had given him and black hoodie type sweater. It was his actual image.

He said to them.

"By now the entire city is watching how you and your little sidekick here sucked the life out of all these innocent parishioners. How you savagely decimated the choir like the monsters this great city fears." He used a hand to direct their attention to the vampire nun. "Allow me to introduce you to Sister Dolores. She, too, can take on the form of anyone, even if it is the embodiment of the beautiful Seras Victoria. However, she's a bit unstable in the head. You must excuse her appearance. She's been my prisoner beneath this church for the last two years. As you can see by the number of ghouls, she was _very_ hungry. Can you believe, not even that stupid priest knew she existed beneath his _own_ church? What a riot! Dolores has provided us with many sacrifices for Bishop Crane but her service is no longer required. I guess we have you to thank for that." Victor held a hand out towards Seras and Alucard.

Seras fisted her hands until her knuckles cracked. "You've killed all the people in here, haven't you? Turned them into mindless zombie servants. That's unforgivable!"

"Oh no, I haven't turned them. Haven't you been listening? _You did_. Every news outlet in London is watching or airing the footage of your carnage right now. I sent them the show while you were busy putting a bullet in Megan Blackwood's heart. I'm sure by now they've already dispatched the army and the media. They're probably minutes away from this church, hoping to put a stop to both the infamous Dracula and his blonde vampire bitch who are going berserk on the innocent people of London. Even the Hellsing troops waiting outside can't do a goddamned thing. You're both finished!"

"Hrmph, if that's the case then I guess we have nothing to lose," Alucard mused callously. "At this point, I might as well have some fun with you."

"You read my mind, No Life King!" Victor charged and snapped his fingers.

All the ghouls pulled heavy automatic weapons out from various hiding places and pointed them at the two Hellsing vampires.

"Typical," Alucard muttered grimly. "I know I've seen this somewhere before."

Just as the undead worshipers pulled their triggers, Alucard placed himself in front of his fledgling, arms stretched out. Bullets ripped through his flesh, his clothes, teeth shattered, bones snapped, and blood spattered from his body. Behind him he could hear Seras screeching, no doubt some of the bullets where going through him and into her own flesh, but he was trying to protect her vitals. Even while being riddled with bullets, a flash of panic came over him. Seras was his creation, but she was not Hellsing's experiment, she did not possess all of his unique abilities.

The ghouls fired at them until they ran out of bullets.

All that remained was a lumpy heap of bloodied flesh, tissue and shreds of fabric. What was left of Alucard fell back atop of Seras and it took him a moment to speak to her in mind.

 _"Will these morons ever learn? Now they have wasted all their ammunition."_ He groaned. _"This tactic never works on me. But what about you, Seras? Have you had the pleasure of regenerating from such an attack before? Perhaps you have while I was away…"_

Seras moaned audibly and answered with an unexpected dark chuckle. _"No, I haven't, but since you've shown me how to regenerate properly upon your return, I think I can manage. We draw energy from the darkness and life from the blood. But, I also have one more trick up my sleeve… I have Pip to thank for shielding my head and my heart otherwise… I'd be bloody ashes right about now!"_

Alucard let out a deep scoff, chuckling along with her. _"You have come a long way from the sniveling orphan I met so long ago. You have truly become a great vampire."_

 _"Thank you, it's about time you acknowledged that. Now, let's stop pissing around so we can finish this."_ Seras shared with him telepathically. _"I'll take on the nun and you finish Victor… make him hurt. After all, he did ruin your date with Integra."_

He would have raised his eyebrows in surprise had they not been shot from his face. _"I see, and you're right… this half-breed has tried my patience. Still, you know what this means when all is said and done, don't you?"_ Alucard hinted.

 _"I know… we're in big trouble, but don't worry, Master, you must trust Integra, she—"_ Seras's radio began to crackle weakly somewhere nearby but it was destroyed beyond all recognition. _"Support is trying to contact us but everything is damaged."_

_"Well, that's technology for you."_

* * *

"Damn them!" Integra swore loudly over the phone. "Why aren't Seras and Alucard answering our calls? This is urgent! Tell me what is happening over there?"

Commander Lister flinched away from the phone as the Hellsing director swore loudly into his ear. He explained that a lot of gunfire just erupted inside the cathedral and that he did not know if Alucard and Seras were all right. He described how he believed this was all a set up and urged, "Sir, I have a bad feeling about this—we should pull the troops out. There is activity about this location all over social media at this very moment. What's going on?"

There was a long pause but he could hear Integra tapping some keys on her laptop, then, he heard her talking to someone in her office, but he could not make out the conversation. While he waited, a fellow comrade thrust out a small tablet for him to look at, depicting footage coming from inside of St. George's Cathedral! It played like a bad found-footage video, very raw, unedited and captured the images from an above viewpoint looking down on the congregation below. It showed Alucard and Seras killing every last soul inside the great church, feeding off them like savages.

"Sir Integra! Oh dear God! You won't believe what I just saw, it's—"

"I know what you saw—it's a massacre. Get out of there now, Commander. The entire British army is headed your way, along with every media conglomerate existing in the greater London area. Our government has turned against us, return to headquarters immediately!"

Before the loyal commander could even give the signal to retreat, the circus rolled in with heavy armoured vehicles and two of their own helicopters. One belonging to the military and the other belonging to Channel 9 News both had spotlights directed on Hellsing's operation.

A voice boomed from above...

"Drop your weapons and get down on the ground with your hands above your head. You are under arrest by order of His Majesty, the King. Failure to comply and we'll open fire!"

In the chaos of the moment, one of Hellsing's military grade choppers got a little too close causing the British Armed Forces to panic. Two door gunners, manning both sides of the AH-64 Apache combat helicopter opened fire on the Z-10 causing it to lose control and lean dangerously towards one of the cathedral towers. Its rotors repeatedly shredded the mortar causing stone to burst in a rain of grit, sending the aircraft to spin out of control. Captain Willoughby lost control and the chopper disappeared on the other side of the building, hitting the ground with a devastating explosion.

* * *

Alucard and Seras put themselves back together much to the dismay of Sister Dolores and Victor Payne. It was like watching a video rewinding, and it happened fast. Blood seeped back up and into their veins, shadows re-grew into new limbs and filled wounds, erasing the damage. While doing this they heard and felt the explosion outside.

 _"Oh shit, what's happening out there?"_ Seras asked in alarm, keeping the conversation telepathic. _"For a moment, I thought the whole building was going to collapse."_

 _"I believe they took down one of our helicopters,"_ Alucard said. _"But never mind that, we have our own problems to deal with here."_

 _"Captain Willoughby…"_ the draculina voiced sadly and realised something else. _"I know you don't even have to pretend you're a bloody mess right now, just will yourself back into one piece and you don't even have to regenerate. Why are you healing yourself the hard way?"_ Seras wondered of her master.

_"It would be folly to let the enemy know all of my secrets now, correct?"_

"You have a good point." She replied to her master aloud and finally said to everyone else inside the cathedral, "I believe it's our turn. You're all gonna pay for killing the captain!"

With menacing red eyes, Seras pointed her cannon at the group of ghouls and began blasting them to bits. The shots were deafening and her aim was flawless, ghoul after ghoul exploding into a bloody pulp. Next to her, Alucard took out all the other ghouls, the rapid two-handed gunfire quickly mowing down the group. Cannon shots destroyed the interior of the cathedral, wood splintering into sawdust, mortar falling in chunks from the walls and stained glass exploding into colourful bursts of crystal.

The volley of blessed silver bullets made its way to Dolores and Victor, but they managed to dodge it.

Victor was pissed but not as pissed as Alucard was.

The situation was getting out of control. It was just as Victor mentioned. Indeed, this was another inculpate set up to ruin them and Alucard didn't hesitate to tap into his more deadly levels of power.

"This ends now, Victor! You've had your fun and games but I have orders, it's time you told me who's conducting this contemptible farce. Whoever they are they will not triumph," Alucard growled at the hybrid as he transformed himself. His tall body was now thin and emaciated and his raven hair long and flowing. He wore a black leather jumpsuit with straps that made him look more like a diabolical monster in a straitjacket.

"You've already lost!" Victor stormed at him and tried to retreat. He knew that fighting this legendary vampire would only end in his death. He had done his part and now he was going to get the fuck out of here. However, Alucard was much faster than he ever could have imagined and whatever kind of power the old vampire was using now was beyond his wildest dreams. Catching him at the back of the altar, the hybrid let out a garbled choking noise as the manic-looking nosferatu stood before him like a picture of pure evil, one long arm extended straight out with his fingers wrapped around his neck, squeezing.

"You can portray me all you want to the world, but you are a coward. You will never be my equal," Alucard assured arrogantly. He choked the doppelganger, until the hybrid swiftly transformed into black crow and flew up to the vaulted rafters.

Alucard went after him when suddenly a pair of skinny silver commando knives embedded into his left shoulder blade. He hissed, feeling a rare stinging of pain.

"You bitch!" Seras cried at the vampire nun who threw the blades at her master. The woman held a handful of them in her gloved hand and Seras gasped when she saw the hidden scriptures on them. "They're blessed blades! Where did you get those?"

"A friend," Dolores replied with a bloody smile.

The draculina pointed the Harkonnen at Dolores when she heard a garbling of ghouls behind her. She turned around to see all of the ghouls they had just destroyed back on their feet, their bodies in one piece again.

"What the…" Seras pointed the cannon at them and fired again. Only the 13.7 millimeter round went right through them as if they were ghosts and took down a column far behind them. It blasted a huge hole in the outer wall of the church leading outside. In that same moment, she felt her body riddled with blessed silver commando knives that Dolores threw at her.

She was not able to dodge or predict the simplest of strikes made by a weaker vampire. "Ahhh!" Seras cried out in fury. "Those fucking hurt! How can you be faster than me?"

Still, Seras held her ground, pulling three knives out from her right thigh and two out of her torso, the knives clattered to the floor where she dropped them. Behind her, the ghouls advanced while Dolores flew at her with her jaws wide open.

Desperate now, the draculina high-kicked the nun right in the face but she merely snagged her foot with her teeth, dragging her off balance. Seras fell to the floor, landing on her side. Next to her head, ghouls closed in, kneeling down to chew on her face.

From above, Alucard heard Seras screaming in a way he had never heard her scream before. For a moment, he forgot all about Victor and watched down below from the rafters. He could not believe what he saw. Seras cowered on the floor kicking and screaming in total fear, bites and scratches appearing all over body. Something was attacking her but he could not see the assailants.

Dolores stood by watching the incident with rapt enthrallment.

"Seras!" Alucard bellowed, hoping to snap her out of whatever had come over her. _"Seras!"_ he spoke inside her mind but it did nothing. He felt her perilous torment deep inside his own chest.

Victor was now back into the shape of a man. His youthful face twisted into a grin and he ran a hand over his spiky black hair as he laughed at the spectacle below.

"I assume you know who is doing this to her?" Alucard retort. "Tell me, what kind of dark magic is this? Who's controlling it?" He could not even see the interference with his third eye.

"It's really brilliant, don't you think?" Victor claimed, his snake-like eyes darting up to look at him a few rafters beams away. "I only heard rumours of such necromancy but I have never once seen it done. Does it anger you to see her like this? Your poor Seras Victoria… the boss wasn't kidding! He told me he had something good in store for her. Too bad I can't stay to enjoy the whole show. See ya."

Alucard, done playing cat and mouse, would not let Victor get away this time. Before Victor could shape shift into anything else, the old vampire trapped him within his extended shadow.

All around Victor, those red eyes he saw at the cemetery enveloped him in every direction, swimming around endlessly in their moving black sea. It was truly terrifying. He did not have the power of intangibility nor could he vaporise or disappear and re-materialise somewhere else like a true experienced vampire. He was stuck, trapped like a bug in a spider's web. Even as a bird, he only bounced back off the shadows as if the shadow itself was a solid object. He stood, in his human form again, among the eyes and blackness, unable to tell if he was standing on a ceiling joist or not.

"What the hell!" he finally cried. "What kind of a vampire _are_ you?"

"The kind that doesn't appreciate being made a mockery by pathetic creatures such as yourself," Alucard's disembodied voice taunted. Then he climbed out of one of the eyes like some kind of poltergeist at Victor's feet, standing full height in front of the hybrid wearing a wild grin on his face.

Victor, now frozen in his own cold terror, could not even hear Seras who still screamed down below. Instead, he watched the mesmerising face before him, yielding to Alucard's will, staring into those haunting red eyes as they claimed his full attention with their alluring gaze.

Alucard grasped him by the face with both hands, tilting his chin up as if to speak tender things to him. He leaned in closer to the shorter crossbreed creature, whose skin was pliable beneath his fingers. "You have the most remarkable eyes, quiet unlike a vampire and not exactly human either. I never met a dhampir that could create vampires." Alucard said softly, keeping his prey calm and compliant. This hybrid was a strong one but not strong enough to resist his power to compel.

"They don't always succeed." Victor whispered sleepily against his will. "That's why we have Dolores."

" _We…?_ " Alucard pursued.

Now Victor hesitated and he tried to back out of the vampire's firm hold. He tried to fight off the spell. "I won't say…it'll have to die with me."

"Then—it shall be so." Alucard savagely went to bite Victor's throat, but stopped when he noticed something on the hybrid's neck. "Oh? What's this? You have an Evil Eye tattoo here. How quaint." With that, he chomped down on the half-breed's neck, fangs puncturing the carotids, swallowing the hot blood filling his mouth.

Alucard closed his eyes taking in the images of Victor's memories.

It seemed like the early 1930's. He saw a young dark-haired child getting a beating by his big bear of a mother, a towering woman with dark hair. She kicked him in the ribs, slapped him in the face and shouted expletives at him. She told him how much she hated him. How he was a monster, an abomination that should never have been born. That he was the devil's spawn. She wished he would die.

Next, he saw Victor digging a grave in a forest, rolling his mother's body into it with a heft of his boot, her neck broken. Later, there was years of crime, of drugs, of sex and death, roaming from one place to another, alone, feeding off strangers. Victor truly had no one. He boarded a ship, sailed to England and did not look back. Once there, he again found himself alone but now in a foreign country, hugging his knees with his back up against an old building in the middle of the night, shivering.

A shadow loomed over Victor and it held out a hand to him and brushed the dust off his jacket, inviting him to be his friend.

"My name's Sergiu, what's yours?"

"Victor Payne… but most people call me, Vic. Look. I really don't want any trouble, mister."

"It's no trouble. How about you come up to my place and I'll get you something warm to eat? Then you can tell me how an American boy like you ended up on the streets in London. I have a feeling I can help what's troubling you." The man kneeled down and leaned in close, his lips next to Victor's ear. "I'm a crossbreed, too. Maybe you can come and work for me. Have you heard of the Crawford Gang?"

"I never heard of such a firm, but sure, I'll work for you, mister!"

"Hush now, I was just testing you. No one has heard of the Crawford Gang for a long, _long_ time and that is how we like it. We are a special operation that works from the shadows, that's how it works for creatures like us. The people you are going to meet are just like you and me… together we can protect one another. I have a feeling Gage would have loved you. You have the loveliest eyes. I've never seen a pair such as yours before. Growing up for you must have been as hard as it was for me. Let's put it all behind us."

"Who's Gage?" Victor asked curiously blushing at the way Sergiu studied his eyes. He finally took Sergiu's offered hand and got up to his feet.

"Just an old acquaintance of mine but he taught me everything I know." Sergiu sighed as if thinking about the past, letting go of Victor's hand. He whispered distantly. "He was just an old acquaintance."

"You don't sound English either… where are you from?"

"Quite the inquisitive lad you are," Sergiu quipped. "Never mind that we'll talk more on those matters another time, come now before we get noticed by other creatures that don't take favour to kinds like us. It's not safe. Safety is in numbers. Do you like tea?"

"Meh… I guess."

Sergiu laughed aloud and continued to hold Victor's hand in such a friendly manner. "Perhaps, I can find you something better to drink, then."

Time flashed forward and Alucard saw recent images, Victor dragging a struggling victim to the basement of St. George's Cathedral. He threw the man into a room behind a metal door where Sister Dolores waited on the other side. "Don't forget to turn him properly or you'll have to wait a month for another meal. I don't need any more ghouls." Victor warned her.

Then he saw Victor and Yarwood locking a newborn vampire male into a silver cage and loading it onto a truck in the parking lot behind the cathedral. "Winmore is a madman but he sure is a profitable bag of shit," Yarwood said. "London is crawling with people bent on butchering monsters. I really don't blame them after, you know… _that_ attack."

"I know and Sergiu hopes he'll train a creditable group of vampire hunters out of these idiots. Sergiu hates the bloodsuckers so much he's fucking blind. I think he takes some pleasure in these rituals. It was his idea for Christ's sake! These hunters Bishop Crane controls… man, they're a bunch of pussies. The only thing they're good for is money, and the Crawford Gang has plenty of that so why get involved with that shit?"

The scene changed again.

"Victor I have a new mission for you and this is a big one. You must assure me that this conversation does not leave this room… we're going to take down the Hellsing Organization."

"What the hell for?" Victor retort. "Have you lost your freakin' mind?"

"Alucard is back and he's going to get in our way. It's perfect timing! We are going to remove him from the picture, him and that cheeky fledgling, Seras Victoria. None of my hybrids is as good as you are—not when it comes to shape shifting. I need you."

"Again, what the hell for…?"

"It's personal. But I have an ex-Iscariot lending me a hand." Sergiu revealed. "She's a paladin. Do you know what _that_ means?"

The blood drained from Victor's face. "It's means that you're fucking serious. It means this is going to get us killed."

Alucard had seen enough. He raised his head from Victor's throat.

"Please…" Victor pleaded in whisper, his golden eyes filled with horror. "Spare me. Sergiu… he's a powerful man. I had no choice but follow orders. You don't understand. Even you, legendary vampire… you don't want to mess with him. I swear!"

"We'll see about that," Alucard replied maliciously. Then he heard Seras's cries and it angered him. In a fit of rage, he tore Victor in half, ripping his arms clean from his body as if he were merely breaking bread.

The hybrid's body turned to ashes.

"You were right, Victor, it got you killed," the vampire grumbled beneath his breath.

The old vampire's shadows faded and he launched himself on top of Dolores who was carving on Sera's arm with one of those blessed knives like a mindless psychopath. He opened his jaws wide, tore into her throat with his teeth and ripped her head right off her shoulders.

As if disgusted, he tossed the head aside like a used chew toy. Her body burst into bloody ashes.

Alucard returned to his preferred Count form as he rushed over to Seras who finally stopped screaming. He looked over her in disbelief, puzzled as to what exactly happened. Her pretty face, it was streaked with bloody tears and bite marks, her hair a tangled mess. Her arm showed the intricate blade work of the crazy nun who cut her up while something clearly chewed on her right leg, chewed it right down to the bone at the ankle.

He scooped her up into his arms, whispering to her to heal herself now. "It's all over."

When she finally opened her eyes and saw that is was Alucard that held her, she clung to him fiercely and sobbed, "What happened? What was that? The ghouls came back even after we shot them to ashes… they were biting me and I couldn't make them stop."

Laughter filled the giant hollow of the now empty cathedral. "It's amazing what control one has when in possession of one's blood. How time and memories are twisted and construed. Didn't you enjoy my little game, Seras Victoria?"

Alucard knew that voice. He heard it through Victor's blood but he yet to see his this man's face. "Sergiu, the man behind the scheme. Why not reveal yourself, oh valiant leader?" he demanded, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Not on you dying human life, vampire! I only wanted to say farewell to you in person. I'm finished with you and your little bitch. Thanks for a most wonderful show!"

The presence of Sergiu vanished and Seras was left to sob without further torment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The craziness! I know XD! This is probably the longest chapter in the story and for that I apologise, but it all had to be said. I truly tried not to skimp out on this fic. My heart broke to write that scene with Megan Blackwood, it really did! The Hellsing world can be so cruel. Poor Seras *sad* Well, that's the end of Winmore Crane and Victor. Now we move onto the next part of the story... Sergiu. Man, this chapter nearly killed me also. 
> 
> I promise there is light at the end of this tunnel! I hope you continue to enjoy the story. The whole idea with the tunnels and such are based on research on the topic.
> 
> Next. Chapter 16 - A Hellsing Never Gives Up. (edit July 15th. I didn't think the other title was suitable so I changed it) Hellsing's in jeopardy and Integra has to deal with her vampires.
> 
> Many many thanks to all that are reading and leaving kudos or bookmarking! Wuvs!


	16. A Hellsing Never Gives Up

**Hellsing Headquarters - August 14th, 12:23 a.m.**

Lilith Medrea rushed through the halls of the Hellsing manor towards Integra's office. When she got there and swung the door open, her boss was just hanging up the telephone. Integra was sitting behind her desk with only the glow of her laptop brightening the space around her, enveloped in a blue cloud of lingering cigar smoke. The blonde-haired woman, dressed in her usual charcoal grey suit, glasses and the ever-present black patch over her left eye, looked up with an unreadable expression.

On the desk was an old leathery tome with strange symbols on the front that looked to contain spells for witchcraft.

"Sir, I was visiting a friend and on my way back I heard some crazy things on the broadcasts in the car. When I heard them I rushed here as quickly as possible." Something caught Lilith's eye and the lean, auburn-haired woman glanced out the windows behind Integra's cloud of smoke, stretching her neck out a little as she did, the crucifix dangling at her neck tinkled. In the distance before the main gate surrounding the grounds, a line of black government vehicles approached the manor.

"They're coming."

"I know they're coming," Integra droned. "I just finished receiving orders that I am to accompany them to St. George's Cathedral to, 'deal with your vampires' as they put it. What they have asked of me—no, commanded me to do… is inconceivable," the woman whispered breathlessly. The leather seat she sat in squeaked as she sat back, glancing up at her assistant with one icy blue eye. "So, it truly has come to this. The country has turned its back on me. Why, they even took down one my best pilots, Stewart Willoughby. God bless his soul."

"But it can't be true. Alucard and Seras didn't kill all those people in St. George's Cathedral, did they?"

"Of course it's not true!" Integra roared. "It's all part of someone's sick plot to falsify my integrity, how dare this farce continue to vitiate my vampires. Not only has this underground organization managed to destroy my honour they have publicly incited the world to believe that Alucard and Seras are nothing more than untamed freaks unfit to roam the earth. Heed my words Lilith… whoever has orchestrated all of this will pay dearly. They will pay for sullying my family's good name."

The sound of people pounding through the house uninvited reached their ears.

"What shall I do?" Lilith wondered quickly.

Even though she was about to be accosted by the British government, Integra remained aloof. She calmly studied Lilith with a pensive stare. "I trust you will do what needs to be done. Isn't that right, Ms. Medrea?"

Lilith's eyes narrowed at the tone of Integra's voice. "Yes, of course, Sir." She hesitated a brief moment before asking, "You'd really do anything for those vampires, wouldn't you? Alucard and Seras are not simply weapons for you to wield, are they?"

The Hellsing woman sniffed. "They are simply that: weapons." However, she lowered her gaze as if thinking of something amusing and smiled ironically. "That is what I might have said thirty years ago, but… I suppose I would be lying to myself. They are _much_ more than that to me. Their loyalty is resolute. Without them Hellsing is nothing. Without them…" She trailed off slightly. "I would be alone in this big empty house with nothing but memories and those memories are not all that much worth pondering over year after year. Together those vampires and I began our fight against evil supernatural forces, those creatures that would harm mankind, but now, as you can see, the darkness is prevailing."

Before Lilith could answer, the office door burst open and a group of armed soldiers entered the dim room.

"Integral Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, you are hereby ordered to accompany us to St. George's Cathedral. The details of this mission shall be discussed in the car on the way there." The commanding officer told her, decked out in body armour and tactical gear and holding his combat rifle secure in both hands.

Patiently, Integra put out her cigar in the clear glass ashtray and smirked at the group of armed men in dark green fatigues, helmets and body armour. "What—are the British forces incapable of handling Alucard and Seras without me, don't think they'll cooperate? Is the military nothing more than a bag of spineless worms?"

She laughed arrogantly.

Another man pushed his way into the room and the half dozen soldiers moved aside to let him by. It was Sir Alastair Kershaw, his lean frame filling out a dark blue suit—he must have changed since the Royal Opera House. He held his shoulders back in an almost superior manner, his facial expression impatient and bordering pompous.

"Now Sir Integra," Kershaw admonished. "You know that you are the only one capable of dealing with those two. We need to you to perform this final duty in the name of His Majesty. It's the best way to put an end to all of this." He held out an opened hand, directing it towards the soldiers near to him. "These men are part of the new anti-freak squad that you yourself sanctioned, and with them we'll be handling Hellsing's business from here on in. I'm afraid only you can make Alucard and Seras go along with it and they must for the greater good, then you will seal them away forever. This is an unwavering command and I am terribly sorry but The Convention has unanimously voted you no longer fit for your role against supernatural threats to the common people of England. You will no longer receive funding and you will hand over your seat and all authority that comes with it. Charges will not be laid unto you as long as you go about this quietly and peacefully."

Integra crossed her arms. "Do you honestly think I sent that severed finger to myself or invented the vampire burning ritual in Hampshire, does the actions of Winmore Crane not bother you or the fact that a pair of Iscariot are sniffing around the city in search of something… or have you all forgotten about that? Perhaps you believe this was all Alucard's diversion while he indulged in the blood of young women all over London. Perhaps it is 1897 all over again." She quipped and looked at them with sheer astonishment. "The incompetency of our Society astounds me—I had hoped that someone in the administration would prove to have some brains, but it appears not. Clearly there is another agenda at hand." Integra came around her desk and walked towards them. "Do you really believe you're ready to take on the evils of this world without me? Do you think the monsters will just succumb to your big guns alone?"

Mr. Kershaw glanced at Lilith quickly before replying. "I do not see how all of this is relevant at the moment, Sir Integra. Please, if we can just get on with this. It's quite late and there is still much that needs to be done."

"Fine," Integra agreed and held out her hands insolently. "Perhaps you should cuff me," she suggested politely, her mockery thick. "I am a woman who has committed high treason after all…"

A lock of blond hair fell into Alastair's green eyes. "That… that won't be necessary," he replied awkwardly.

* * *

 **St. George's Cathedral - London, 1: 07 a.m**.

The block around the cathedral was swarming with the activity of police, military and civilians. The constant patter of helicopter blades drowned out the voices of bystanders that stood behind barricades along with a horde of reporters as they flew overhead. Hellsing and British military vehicles parked on the length of the street in front of the big church, along with a few emergency vehicles, their caution lights flashing.

And even though firemen put out the blaze caused by the downed Hellsing helicopter, it still smoked on the side of the building.

A light rain began to fall.

Integra arrived in a shiny black government car, which winded its way through the throng and stopped directly in front of the cathedral. She stepped out and from where she stood and could see no sign that inside the great Romanesque church, built two centuries ago with its two pinnacled towers, that a horrible series of events took place. The only sign of distress from the front was how the main doors stood wide open, as if someone had broken them.

The entire scene surrounding her was utter chaos and she glanced about. British forces were detaining her Hellsing paramilitary personnel and media struggled to take pictures and film. The sound of police and military radios squawked endlessly and the smell of smoke lingered from her downed helicopter.

Madness. Total madness.

She held her self composed and lit a cigar on her way up the steps to the cathedral. At this point, she could care less what the media saw or what the military thought. Inside, she was fuming, bitter, disappointed. All she wanted now was to make sure Seras and Alucard were all right, even though what she was about to do, cut to the very core. Where she found the strength to continue she did not know, but backing down now was not acceptable.

She was still a soldier. She was a Hellsing.

Escorted by the new anti-freak squad, that had come to collect her at her home, Integra entered the cathedral, eyes surveying all the damage. It was like a few bombs went off inside the once beautiful old church, but now it was in shambles. It looked like Seras and Alucard had a rough time. She found Seras standing among the seats leaning against the bench near Alucard, who sat in one of the remaining pews that was still in one piece. He sat casually waiting with his arms braced over the back of the bench. He looked bored.

"You have five minutes to prepare them," the commanding officer explained, "And no funny business."

"Sir Integra!" Seras was the first to announce happily, rushing over. She appeared as good as new, her burgundy uniform in one piece, all of the bites and torn flesh repaired. Her honey blonde hair, however, was a busy mess. Only the scratches Dolores carved on her arm with the blessed blade still looked raw, but they no longer bled. The wound was taking a bit longer to heal.

Alucard pushed himself out of his seat and stood, turning around to look at her. He was hatless and without sunglasses and his unruly dark hair fell over one eye. His clothing was unspoiled, per usual. He watched her solemnly.

"Why did you order us to wait here until you came?" Seras asked. "We could have flown home by now. We've learned a few things and it's not good. The prime vampire Winmore was using used to be a nun that worked in this cathedral! She was bat-shit crazy but Master destroyed her and Victor. He was working for some guy named…" The draculina narrowed her eyes at the military escort that had followed Integra inside the church and moved in closer to her so they wouldn't overhear. She leaned in and whispered, "Sergiu—he's a hybrid, too. He's the leader of the Crawford gang. Ever hear of them?"

"I'm afraid I have not heard of them, Seras." It seemed painful for Integra to answer and she gave a small smile at Seras's chipper voice, amazed by after what she had been through with Megan, that she was even able to sound so cheerful.

"And this Sergiu guy has some weird power that messed up my mind… I saw things that Master couldn't even see with his third eye and his is _way_ stronger than mine. It was terrifying. It's a good thing you weren't here earlier, I was a mess. I'm really going to pulverise them when I find out where they are, but first I want a hot shower and two packs of O negative blood, warm, stat—I'm starving! These blessed blade cuts won't heal up. So, why are you here?" Seras wondered with a tilt of her head. "What's going on… uh, why are you looking at me that way?"

Integra couldn't stop herself from reaching out with her gloved hands and gently inspecting Seras's left arm riddled with scratches, clean red lines and cuts from a blessed blade. It was like looking at the arm of a mental patient.

She threw her arms about the female vampire, embracing her. Integra spoke to Seras quickly in mind while she still had physical contact with her. _"Remember what we discussed the other night when you got back from talking to that witness. I'm going to try and make everything better. Keep this to yourself a little while longer."_

Seras stiffened and said aloud, "Of course, Sir Integra."

"Good. Now, I'm so sorry about what happened here and what happened with Megan Blackwood. I was on the phone with Alucard when I heard the gunshot. You were very brave to do that… will you be alright?" Integra implored softly.

Seras was shocked for a moment by Integra's rare display of affections. It always took her by surprise and it took a second to react, but when she did, she warmly held Integra back, pleased to receive a hug. "Yeah… of course, I mean, it wasn't fair and she just gave up. I can't understand that way of thinking. If you have a chance to live on, and with purpose, why not do it. It's like you and master… don't give up on him, or me, or yourself." Seras admitted with a sneaky gleam in her eye. She had a good idea what was going on between Integra and Alucard, more than either of them knew.

Alucard silently watched his two favourite women with a look of interest on his face suddenly, clearly overhearing the nature of the spoken conversation.

Integra released the vampire quickly and stepped back, still holding the smoldering cigar between her fingers. "Seras…" she voiced quietly, her breath caught to hear such honesty, "I won't ever give up on you or Alucard. You know I could never do that."

Blinking with mild confusion, Seras looked as if she wasn't sure Integra got the point she was making. But she didn't have time to dwell on that now. "Anyways, don't worry about me. I'm ok now. I was just scared when all those zombie pumpkins came back to life. I thought I was going to die when they started to eat me."

Integra studied her long time female companion carefully. "I am sorry about everything and I am terribly sorry for everything that is going to happen now."

"What do you mean?" Seras murmured uncertainly.

The Hellsing director answered. "I… it wasn't my decision to have you remain here up until now. Those orders came from His Majesty and the Twelve. Believe me; I would have rather done this a million other ways—"

"—but that wouldn't do with all the eyes around the world watching us, now would it?" Alucard finally spoke up and wandered over towards them. "England's leaders have come up with a much better way to show the world that it is once again safe for its citizens to walk the streets. Why, I haven't seen such a spectacle since the early 1800's when public executions were all the rage."

The look on Integra's face was stony. "Then you know what has to be done. Just play along and this will all be over soon."

Seras began to frown, confused. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Will it really be over soon?" Alucard retort rhetorically, ignoring Seras's comments, his dark gaze directed at Integra.

"Hellsing is no more, Alucard, so as far as I'm concerned _it is_ over," Integra replied evenly. "Think of it like mutiny."

Alucard grunted loudly and spoke to Integra's mind. He did not require physical contact to do so like Seras. _"You are lying. For as long as I've known you, I have never seen you walk away from a fight."_

This time Integra scoffed with amusement. "Well, you have me there, vampire."

That statement made Alucard narrow his eyes. Hmm, his mistress was keeping secrets from him—what was she up to? She was controlling her thoughts, keeping him blocked out. Alucard knew because just now she thought of her father, Arthur. He was reading Integra a bedtime story when she was a child, _Jack and the Beanstalk_. It was the same image in her head at the opera ball and multiple times in the last few days, besides other useless things.

However, he knew that the Twelve intended to lock him and Seras up. Integra had given her word and based on what Victor said, the deal was sealed. Alucard didn't know how much time they had left and he could not bear to leave Integra in the dark, he had to tell her what he knew before that happened.

He said to her, _"Sergiu, sounds Eastern European to me, he's another hybrid that operates an organized group of hybrids called the Crawford Gang. They appear to have been in operation for nearly a century, perhaps longer. Recently, they have an ex-Iscariot working for them, a paladin. Now we know the real reason the Iscariot Organization has been snooping around London."_

"Alucard, you've done well, I expected no less of you," Integra praised. "Now, I hope you will expect the same from me."

This time the No Life King studied her carefully, his scowl of irritation morphed into mild bedevilment. He studied Integra with new light, admiration and a touch of pensive concern. "A Hellsing doesn't stop until you're dead—isn't that right?" He knew that better than anyone else did.

"Unless they die trying." She smirked and took a drag of her cigar, blowing the smoke out.

Alucard laughed darkly, oh-so darkly and when he was finished, he matched her smirk with his own. _"I cannot believe those dogs have usurped my queen from her throne. Just give me the order, master, and I'll end all of this for you right now. We'll seize back what is rightfully yours."_

"Not this time, Alucard. Not this time." She said.

Dubiously, Seras watched her masters having a mostly one-sided conversation. She could not hear what Alucard was saying to Integra telepathically. "Oh, come on…" she complained, "Why can't I listen in?"

"Whoa! What did I say about funny business?" The officer in charge of escorting them hollered.

Both Integra and Alucard cut Seras an irritated look.

"Geez, don't look at me that way. You were both clearly having a strange conversation." She told them incredulously. "You guys have funny business written all over your faces."

"Time is up anyways, let's go. Proceed outside with how we discussed, Sir Integra." The officer commanded. "Mr. Kershaw is waiting outside."

"Alastair Kershaw?" Alucard muttered with a snarling lip, growling low in his throat. "I _really_ don't like that guy."

"Put the blessed handcuffs on them," Integra ordered failing to grace Alucard with a response, reminding him of who was in charge here. She placed the cigar between her teeth and slipped her hands into her trench coat pockets. She turned her back on the vampires as the two officers came over and held out two pairs of silver cuffs.

"Do as they say. Hold out your hands both of you… that's an order," she said coldly.

The blessed silver cuffs were placed on both Alucard and Seras's wrists much to their discomfort. The sanctified metal burned their skin but they were strong enough to endure it, at least for a little while. Still, it stung and the pain showed clearly on their faces.

"These hurt," Seras clamoured. "What is all of this…what are you doing, Sir?"

"Be quiet, Seras." Integra ordered harshly. "Do not say another word and follow me."

The Hellsing woman led the way and everyone else followed behind. They left the cathedral and stood outside in front of the old building. They stood before the audience under the gentle rain where all the lights and cameras could see them.

Integra removed her black Sig Sauer handgun from the inside of her trench coat. She turned around aiming the gun at both vampires with her right arm, cigar clenched between her teeth. Alucard appeared somewhat amused and Seras looked on with wide-eyed shock. Integra resembled a lifeless doll, a cold killer. Not an ounce of remorse or humanity even, crossed her countenance.

She pointed the gun at Alucard first and pulled the trigger. Without hesitation, she shot Seras next.

_Bang. Bang._

The bullets struck them in the head in front of the whole world, a big bloody mess that spread all over the sidewalk. The vampires: executed with a bullet to the head, died as the stories and legends go.

Well, sort of.

Everyone could go home now.

The mess behind would be cleaned up, the cathedral repaired. Families could begin mourning their love ones who perished in, _'The Great Cathedral Massacre'_ , as headlines will say. The old vampire who had haunted them over a century ago and his minion lay dead on the front steps, a moment made into history.

* * *

**Hellsing Headquarters - August 14th, 2:33 a.m.**

As dreary as she was, Integra knew the long, undying evening was far from over and that she still had business to conduct. Now that the world believed the vampires responsible for killing Abby Gilford, Rosalie Yonge, Patricia Reed and Megan Blackwood and, of course, all the people in St. George's Cathedral were dead… everyone felt safe again. It was a win for the British people and their fight against monsters. England's nation would embrace the new anti-freak squad. Their heroism would no doubt, be glorified all over the media by tomorrow morning.

Penwood should be proud, Integra thought. This was the very thing they needed to ensure the public that its government stood by them. She couldn't argue that killing Seras and Alucard in front of everyone like that was a horrible idea, even if doing so wrenched her insides. No, it was a brilliant maneuver and she commended them for having the guts. The groups of holy hunters chanting about creatures of darkness would be satisfied, or at the very least, vindicated.

Integra walked along the sub-levels of her mansion holding an old book clutched in her hands, the long wide sleeves of the beige ceremonial robes she wore hiding most of the tome she held pressed against her chest. The book contained the family spell for sealing away vampires. The spell, created by her father, would ensure that a creature as powerful as Dracula, the king of vampires, would not be able to resist it. It did not matter how powerful Alucard was now, which was even greater than he was one hundred and thirty years ago. This spell would seal all realms within his existence and drain him of all the lifeblood swirling in his veins.

The blood would turn to ash.

The only way to unlock the spell was for a Hellsing's blood to feed the dried out corpse, the desiccated husk of a vampire. It had to be a Hellsing or no vampire would ever wake from this spell.

The whole situation had Seras shaking in her boots. "I understand why you shot us, Sir, and thanks for finally removing those horrid handcuffs, but you could have at least _warned_ me before shooting us _in the_ _head._ Mr. Bernadotte saved my life _again_. You know how many times I had to regenerate this evening. I'm exhausted and starving and _now_ you're going to seal us away."

"You knew this was coming, Seras," Integra said partly in code. "Stop whining about it. It won't hurt."

"That's what you think," Alucard grumbled roughly. "First your heart turns into a lump of clay. Then, all the blood inside of you, even the blood inside the tiny capillaries branching out to your fingertips stops moving. It thickens and expands, spreading out like an internal explosion causing all your vessels to stretch as the blood turns to something like cement. It damn well hurts."

Seras whimpered loudly.

Integra said nothing.

The Hellsing vampires were far from dead and moved along the corridor in front of Integra who walked in the middle. Behind her, many of the Round Table members followed, except Rob Walsh, who refused to be a part of this. They were here to make sure she came through on her promise. Dagwood Morgan, especially, wanted nothing more than to witness the quarantine of the vampire responsible for murdering his daughter this evening.

The group approached a familiar chamber.

Its entrance had a huge metal door inscribed on its front with a six-pointed hexagram, a star: the mark of the beast. Integra pushed her way to the front ahead of Alucard and Seras and placed her hand on the handle. For a flashing second, she felt as if she were twelve years old again. The fluttering of her heart reminded her of the emotion she felt while pursued by her Uncle Richard.

The heavy iron door groaned as she opened it, a door that was supposed to lead her to her white knight, her salvation. Only the knight turned out to be a foul monster, something that little girls don't ever dream about finding.

The monster liked her, however.

It worshiped the ground she walked on.

And it did save her just as her father said it would.

For a moment, Integra heard the monster's voice in her head. The things Alucard said to her that night he read Lady Chatterley's Lover to her. _"I believe that fate would have reborn me into a human that someday would cross paths with you."_ And more astounding was his declaration in her bedroom after the bath. _"You on the other hand… you are my castle."_

With her hand still frozen on the handle, the door slightly ajar, Integra closed her eyes and smiled softly. Perhaps Alucard was her knight in shining armour after all, her mysterious dark knight that she was fated to fall in love with, fated to become his queen his… vampire queen.

But how will the fairy tale end?

"I meant every word," Alucard whispered from behind her, his voice almost inaudible. "The ending, however, is ultimately your choice."

Integra snapped out of it and quickly emptied her mind before Alucard saw anything else. She felt a bit mortified and had to resist the urge to swallow the lump in her throat.

"Why are we dawdling?" Sir Hugh Irons bemoaned, his youthful face paler looking in the bluish light provided by the dim bulb overhead. "What's that animal saying to you?"

It was none of their business.

"Argh, let's get on with this. I don't want to spend a second longer down here if I can help it," Mr. Walden Blackensfield insisted, perspiring a little more than usual all of the sudden. His wide forehead glittered with beads of sweat, his glasses slipping down his damp nose. He pushed them back up with his meaty finger as if he was jabbing at his face.

"Then follow me, if you will." Integra led everyone into the musty old cell, its cold walls made of grimy damp brick that was as black as the bottom of a well.

Alucard removed his long red frock coat and handed it to Integra. "I'd rather not get put down like a distempered dog while wearing my favourite old coat. It once belonged to a great man." He said and began to remove his black suit jacket as well.

The members of the Twelve glanced at each other awkwardly.

"Is this really necessary?" Gregory Penwood wondered, noting the grey lock of hair Alucard still insisted on displaying. "I thought those clothes were a part of your being since you just change shape on a whim. Where's your hat and glasses."

"I chose not to wear them after getting my head shot off the _first_ time tonight at the cemetery. As for my clothing, I have remembered every detail so I can regenerate them as easily as I regenerate my own body. I assure you the clothing is as real as the suit you are wearing now. However, I don't want the coat to become rank with rot while I remain locked in a damp old dungeon. My clothes are laundered twice a week by the manor housekeeping. I'll have you know. I may have many suits but there is only _one_ great coat." The vampire said this as if Penwood should know better.

Penwood had no idea how to respond to that.

Integra's right eye twitched while she stared at Alucard as he stood there in his black trousers, white shirt and red cravat. She took the bundle of clothes that were ridiculously heavy because of The Casull and The Professional hidden in his jacket. The woman scoffed when Alucard transformed into his level one mode look, with the black straightjacket outfit instead.

"I see," she said as if finally solving a puzzle. "So that's why you looked how you did when I found you all those years ago. To preserve your clothing from the damp basement, how very particular of you..."

Seras was snickered at Integra's dumbfounded tone.

"Okay… okay, let's get on with this," Hugh Irons reminded everyone, hearing enough silly talk.

Alastair Kershaw assisted in locking the manacles and chains to Seras and Alucard's wrists and ankles, while they sat on the floor with their backs against the wall. The heavy chains, tightened with a system specially constructed for this purpose made Seras moan unhappily, her arms forced down at her sides and ankles secured to the cold, solid floor. The two vampires situated side by side, were far enough away from each other to avoid contact.

While Kershaw secured the vampires, who could easily rip out of those chains if they wanted to, Integra took care of the magical seal on the floor with a thick piece of white chalk. Inside the round circle was a triangle with a small upside down triangle in the middle of the larger one. Symbols in the Theban alphabet pertaining to the gates of Heaven, the gates of Hell, the earth's rich soil and human blood were drawn in the empty spaces around the triangle.

Each symbol represented a factor.

The gates of Heaven and Hell kept the demon in limbo between its dominions. The soil soaked up the blood of the vampire, draining it and leaving behind ashes, the dirt that all beings return to once dead. And the circle continued to keep the spell in motion infinitely.

"I can't believe we have to stay in this miserable dungeon. It's so gloomy down here and there are probably bugs crawling all over the place," Seras lamented. "How did you stand it for _fifty_ years, master?"

"Trust me, you won't notice a thing. Think of it like a really long sleep… it's kind of peaceful," The No Life King replied nonchalantly.

That set Seras's mind at ease a little bit.

Integra knelt in the middle of the magical seal while the Round Table members kept their distance near the doorway, huddled close together like a group of chickens. She opened the book and looked over the Latin words, words she had studied several times with her father while growing up. Yet, she has never uttered them with the purpose of actually sealing away a vampire, until now, that is.

A part of her was curious by the process, of actually witnessing it, but not at the expense of losing Alucard and Seras. She could barely look at them.

Keeping her head in the game, Integra began the spell and she didn't stop even when Seras grunted with pain and wriggled her chains or a strange hissing sound filled the air. The magical seal around her burned white-hot but it did not hurt her even as she knelt in the middle, her robes spilling around her. The energy surrounding her swayed her platinum hair around like the wind.

Alucard made no sounds of discomfort but he did have one last thing to say. "This is your final chance to stop the signing of Hellsing's death certificate," he told the Convention of Twelve members genuinely. "End this madness."

"Pfft! Words spoken by the devil himself!" Dagwood Morgan roared with disgust. "You signed that certificate a long time ago when Integra released you the first time. You're going back to where you belong! Good riddance, you monster."

Even as the skin on Alucard's face began to shrivel, he growled deeply, his voice more profound in the enclosed space, "You don't know what you've just done, you idiots."

Integra uttered the final words of the sealing spell and finally looked up from the book. She immediately placed a hand to her mouth, stricken to see what she had done. Before her, Seras and Alucard had become nothing more than dried out corpses, their eye sockets hollow and empty, and their faces withered and gaunt with grey patches of papery skin stretched over visible cheekbones. They both lay listlessly against the brick wall like lifeless puppets, their strings cut.

Two fallen warriors…

Everyone just stared at the desiccated vampires, the sheer silence in the room pounding in their ears.

"It's done." Integra told the group coldly. She stood up in the middle of the seal and demanded. "Now, get out. Leave my home… _all of you_. Get the hell out of my house!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can tell that most of you knew this was coming and it was no big secret, but I assure you there is a plan in the works! The next chapter will reveal a WHOLE lot of things, so stay tuned! A part of me wanted to explore the entire process of desiccating a vampire and this chapter, even though sad, was kinda thrilling to do. Integra knows what she needs to do but it doesn't mean she's happy about it. These chapters are intense but there are good moments worked into the plot here and there. Ahh! I feel so nervous sharing all the chapters from here on... I did warn that things will get crazy and crazier.
> 
> I hope you enjoy the unfolding!
> 
> Right! And I changed the title of this chapter, from what I wrote at the bottom of chp15, because it just didn't feel right anymore. It was a title I came up with months ago. It no longer felt appropriate.
> 
> Next. Chapter 17: The Bloody General. Integra copes with all that has happened while making a huge revelation to her father before she confronts the enemy.
> 
> Thanks for reading and the kudos and the comments! Much love to you all!


	17. The Bloody General

**Hellsing Manor - August 22th, 5:22 p.m.**

The sounds of gunshots, muffled behind the noise-cancelling headphones she wore, Integra killed some time at the gun range. Not one bullet missed the head or heart of the flimsy target shaped like a human's upper body. All clean shots. Her aim flawless. It was satisfying to watch each slug embed itself into the mark, thudding into the bulletproof padding behind it. She imagined it was Sergiu the leader of the Crawford Gang standing there, his heart pierced by her bullets. He was the man apparently behind all of this bullshit, an individual that has decided to make _her_ his target.

With steady hands and arms locked out before her, she emptied the rest of the cartridge into the target with rapid succession.

There was not much activity here at Hellsing in the last week, so she was alone. Integra gave most of her personal military some leave time after Willoughby's funeral yesterday; she even gave Lilith a leave of absence. It wasn't like they wanted to go or that she did not have the funds to sign their paychecks (even if she was cut from government funding), but seeing how Hellsing was no longer in business, it seemed a good time to give them a break. On the other hand, Commander Lister refused to go anywhere claiming that this was only temporary, 'I'm sure of it.' He said the other day. 'Those goons will soon realize the mistake they are making'.

Integra could not be sure of that.

The highlights of the incident at St. George's Cathedral were still a topic of discussion all over social media and news, but the chatter was slowing down a little. The arms of the public invited the anti-freak squad manned by Gregory Penwood warmly, just as Integra thought. The acceptance of the squad was even further solidified, after a quiet week of no reported vampire attacks on young women. That was a positive aspect in the grand scheme of things, she firmly believed it was time the military grew a pair and stepped in to help fight against supernatural threats. Regrettably, she wasn't sure if Hellsing would be joining that fight in the future or not. Only time would tell.

Many people curiously asked about the blonde woman that killed the vampires on the steps of the great church, to which Gregory responded that she was just a member of the new freak squad. No further details were given.

The press sought Integra for an interview but she declined them all.

Instead, she locked herself up within the manor, stepping out only to walk in the garden or to blow off some steam at the gun range or the fencing hall. Her nervous energy could not be caged behind her large desk all day, she had to keep moving or she would simply go mad.

Soon, those requests for interviews began to fade away, as well.

It's amazing, she pondered, how quickly people move from one hot topic to another, their attention spans short or grabbed by something juicier. Integra was grateful, now she had a semblance of peace while she waited like a sitting duck.

Not all of her comrades forgot about her. Rob Walsh phoned and expressed his deepest concerns with the recent turn of events, calling it 'unjust' and 'suspicious'. Integra could not agree more, but she could not discuss all the details pertaining to the facts Seras and Alucard discovered on the night of cathedral disaster. She could not tell him about The Crawford Gang, Sergiu or Victor or about Sister Dolores. Not yet.

His Majesty even phoned her to express his deepest concerns also, acknowledging her family's long and faithful service to the monarchy and England and promised to amend the situation as soon as possible, but that right now, 'It's out of my hands'.

Most of the Knights said nothing to her in the last week. Not one word. She was not even invited to Dagwood's daughter, Juliet Morgan's, funeral. However, she was not surprised it ended up this way. What did a bunch of slimy, spoiled bureaucrats like those people know anyways?

Integra lowered her gun and slipped off the headphones. For a moment, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath and thought. _What is taking so long?_

"Excuse me. Did you just say something, sir?"

Integra spun around to peer at a shorter woman with shoulder length, chestnut hair streaked with grey, the bangs kept out of her eyes with a white cloth headband. It was Judy, her personal attendant. The woman was wearing her customary long black skirt and white blouse.

"I guess I was thinking out loud, I was not speaking to you." Integra told her plainly. She slid the black P229 handgun into the holster under her dark suit jacket, nestled against her ribcage. "Now… what did you come here for, is there a problem?"

"No problems. I just came to inform you that dinner is ready." Judy put on a stubborn expression all of the sudden. "Sir, you must eat something… you've barely touched a thing since you sealed those two up. You'll shrivel into nothing as well, and then what will become of you?"

The Hellsing woman sighed. "You're right. I… I just don't have much of an appetite these days. There is _so much_ weighing on my mind." It was hard to explain to Judy that her world teetered on a serious gamble she was taking. She knew she was riding the dark horse of chance with the kind of game she was playing.

"I imagine that's so but wars are not won on empty stomachs," the older woman chastised in a friendly manner.

Integra placed the headphones on a peg nearby and laughed for the first time in days. "I suppose they are not," she agreed and added, "Sounds like something Alucard would say."

Judy smiled softly. There was a twinkle in her dark eyes. "You know, Integra, since that man returned, every time I go down to collect his wine glasses or his dirty clothes, he asks about you. Only in the evenings that is, since, you know… he sorta sleeps all day whether it's in that chair of his or his coffin."

It was pleasant to hear someone refer to Alucard as a man and not a creature or a monster, Integra discovered. "You've never mentioned this before," she said, mildly astonished. "And what does he ask? What do you tell him?"

"Usually the same, his favourite line is, 'Is she still slaving away at the mundane matters of mortal nonsense?' or in less poetic terms, 'How is Integra fairing today?'. Of course I always reply that you're fine and that, yes, you're in the office working and whatnot and he always sort of grunts in response." Judy revealed with a snicker.

"And he knows very well what I'm doing—what we're _all_ doing in the house at any given moment. It's a wonder he asks at all." Integra was tempted to roll her eye.

"He cares about you. That's why he asks," Judy replied as if she should know.

Integra smirked vaguely, feeling like a scolded mischievous child for a moment. She steadied her good eye on Judy. "I know I've asked a lot of you in regards to a few extra chores since he's returned and for that I'm grateful."

As usual, Judy waved a hand at her. "Never you mind, sir. I told you before them vampires don't frighten me as much as they should, I guess. He is an ornery fellow, that Alucard, like a grouchy bear sometimes. But like most men that talk a big game, he's just a pussycat underneath. He thanks me once in a while, his manner is very polite… must have had a strict upbringing or something."

Integra nearly let out an incredulous snort. "Now there's a thought," she quipped, trying to imagine what growing up in war-torn Wallachia was like in the sixteenth century. She almost shuddered from what she had learned out of the history books. However, another thought came to mind. "Are you still alright with what we discussed?"

"Oh yes, of course, sir," the attendant replied quickly. "Can't say I like the sounds of it, but if that's what you think is best."

"It's the only way," Integra assured tersely. "I don't have many people left that I can trust."

"Then you have my support," Judy said. "Just… just be careful."

* * *

Later that day, after supper, Integra stood before the portrait of her father that hung in her office above the fireplace, his expression noble and his flaxen beard short and nicely trimmed. She imagined his locked gaze was on her and not in some other permanent direction. His blue eyes seemed to be full of secrets beneath his shift of blond hair. He appeared a man of experience, all of which, she was uncertain.

Integra sighed, she felt more alone now than she has ever felt in her entire life.

"Father, what do you have to say for yourself?" she asked. "Was this what you pictured for your daughter and her future—a spinster wasting away in this huge old mansion, a woman that has successfully dragged the organization that you and grandfather worked so hard to build through the mud? Have I chosen wrong? Risked too much? Would you have done any differently? This was the _only_ way… I had to play along. It's me they want."

Her intelligence team found nothing regarding the Evil Eye organization that she only discovered a week ago was actually the infamous Crawford Gang, thanks to Alucard and Seras, a powerful gang existing up until 1943 when its original notorious leader, Gage Crawford, died. After that, it dropped from the face of the planet. It seems it became a group so well hidden, so underground, that only with sheer luck could anyone hope to unearth them. Where these criminal hybrids were located remained a mystery but it was a mystery Integra was determined to solve.

Integra brought a cigar that was smoldering between her fingers up to her lips and inhaled, feeling the hot current of smoke filling her lungs. She blew it out but not in the direction of her father's image and continued to speak to the portrait.

"You taught me to never give up, never lay down my sword. You taught me to be an instrument of hope for mankind, to be their saviour—slay their monsters, that… that it was a mission from God. I've done that over and over again and I will continue to do so. These freaks _must_ be stopped, no matter the cost. I cannot stand by and let them continue to build strength… I will not witness another Battle of London."

It seemed a long time before she spoke again. The room was quiet and still, darkening quickly by the fading of the setting sun beyond the tall windows on the horizon in the distance. Integra's gaze became hard and callous. Something entirely different invaded her mind, something that was eating at her heart.

"I love him." She finally admitted to her father. "I have fallen for the creature you left for me to wield at my disposal, the servant that you would have protect me." Integra felt a tremendous weight withdraw from her as the words left her mouth, leaving a gaping vulnerable hole in her chest. Surprised, she did not feel as much guilt as she thought she would."I never knew how much he meant to me… I think I rather took it for granted until he left for thirty years… _thirty years_. Back then, I felt invincible, like I would never grow old… as if time stood still, such folly. Now I have lost him again—I have lost them _both_ … and it's my fault. Those two people… those monsters… they are like family to me, and it could be forever this time. So I dare ask… is it worth it? Will this be how my legacy ends? _Answer me!_ "

Her own shouting surprised her.

"Millennium changed everything, father. They changed the world. The people are not blissfully ignorant anymore. They want to slay their own demons and we should help them do that." Integra closed her right eye and scoffed. "He's changed, too… he's let go of some of that anger and resentment. I can feel it when he touches me. I can feel it in his _blood!_ "

She opened her eyes. Even behind the eye patch, both eyes were open and blinking. With or without the patch, however, she still could not see from her left eye but a partly re-grown eyeball was there in her eye socket, all thanks to Alucard's vampiric blood she swallowed.

"He wants me to become his in equal, so I ask you, can it be that you have not taught me all there is to know about vampires, father? Can they love? Can a monster like that truly love? I feel like it was always there. Reckless. Sinful. Wicked. His love," she whispered. "I welcomed his kiss, his touch, I sought to taste him. But no matter what—and I say this without bitterness father—duty comes first, duty and honour must always come first. No matter my feelings, I will not let you down. I'll do my best to rebuild Hellsing's honour and I'll do it any way that I can, even if it costs me _my life_."

Integra grabbed her sabre that she kept near her desk these days and left the office, her heart racing with torment. She charged towards the training hall to practice her sword, to release these pent up emotions spilling over the precipice of her sanity. The footfalls of her hard-soled shoes sounded down the hallway with determination but she found herself in a different part of the mansion than initially intended.

Somehow, her feet took her before the tall mirror leading to the basement, to Alucard and Seras's quarters. Integra laughed somewhat sardonically at herself. "You're just as hopeless as he is," she muttered.

Integra heaved a heavy sigh.

Opening the reflective door, she descended the stairs, sword in hand. Inside, she knew this space called to her after what she had just revealed to her father, her blunt honesty causing the great Iron Maiden of Great Britain to seek restitution. Whatever she hoped to find, she really did not know. Perhaps she just needed to be in their space and find some solace with familiar things that reminded her of them.

Maybe she came to say goodbye.

She wandered down the cold, dimly lit hallway towards Seras's living quarters and entered. The room was big and brightly lit, Seras barely turned out the light in her sparsely furnished space. She did not welcome the night as fervently as Alucard did. Integra noted the old four-poster bed against the corner wall, mostly forgotten about since she agreeably slept in a coffin without fuss these days, but at one time begged to have this bed returned to her. There was a small dinette table and few posters on the wall and some pictures of old family and friends. There was one music poster in French that Integra was sure was inspired by Pip Bernadotte, and a small entertainment unit with a large collection of books and one bottle of scotch—again, it must belong to Pip.

Already Integra began to feel a bit more at ease and more alert, returning to her senses.

Integra left Seras's room, stopping to listen and look up the stairs leading back to upper levels of the mansion before she wandered into Alucard's space nearby, taking a right at the end of the hallway. His room was always gloomier and it took her eye a moment to adjust. As she neared, his tall red felt-cushioned chair began to appear out of the darkness like a deserted ghost ship, empty and barren. His wine glasses were gone, probably collected by Judy, but a half consumed bottle of red wine still sat on the small table next to his chair, along with his tablet and a pair of white earphones.

The blonde woman scrunched up her nose when she saw a few shell casings littering the floor and knelt to pick one up. "Always leaving your toys lying about," Integra mused and wandered further into the room, rolling the bullet casing between her fingers.

Behind the chair, further in the room it was hard to see the large black coffin lying on the floor. Nearby, on the left sidewall, there was also a tall chest of drawers and a stand-up closet full of Alucard's mediocre belongings, a hairbrush he rarely used and an oval mirror lined with cracks as if someone had punched the middle of it.

The woman sniffed. "Pitiful…"

Alucard often reminded her that materialistic things did not appeal to him any longer, that they were a waste of time. 'Humans collect things like squirrels collect nuts; they collect memories and cling to them like useless trophies. It's all junk'. He had said.

Perhaps he was right but what those people collect separates them from everyone else, what passions drive them to gather stuff makes them different. It is just the nature of humans. She tried to explain to him. 'You like guns and movies,' she told him once. 'You add to your mental collection the things you watch'.

His response was a customary grumble, effectively ruining the discussion.

Integra smiled at the memory and entered a small bathroom, switching on the light. The sconce's yellow light filled the room with a putrid glow over the sink. It was not warm or inviting but rather, it made her think of a bathroom one might find in an old sanitarium or a prison. The room was tidy enough and rarely used, except for the stand-up shower with a flimsy frosted curtain and a toothbrush that appeared to be in need of dire replacement. Integra noted the worn bristles on the clear, red-handled brush.

"It's a wonder he sneaks into my bathroom but he better _not_ be touching my toothbrush," she said repulsively, switching off the light. She promised herself if they ever got out of this mess, she would buy him a new toothbrush. _Two_ of them. One he could keep upstairs and one downstairs.

Leaving the bathroom, she returned to the main area and stopped in front of Alucard's coffin. She knelt to brush a hand over the black surface, almost expecting to feel some kind of jolt when she touched it, but she felt nothing of the sort. She only felt the smooth lacquered finish, hard and almost warm to the touch. _What was it really like to sleep inside one of these?_

Quickly she shrugged off the idea and stood up, hastily even. She returned to the throne-like chair that centered the room.

Fondly, she recalled the activities that last took place here between the two of them on this very chair. Integra set the sabre up against the tall back and took a moment to sit in the stiff chair. She immediately felt a course of excitement ripple through her. Hot memories pleasantly swirled in her mind and between her legs. If she closed her eyes, she could still feel his cool hands on her. She could still hear Alucard's deep baritone as he read _Lady Chatterley's Lover_ to her. It brought a certain smile to her face. She regretted nothing.

The sound of footsteps approached.

Integra snapped back to reality. She straightened and crossed a leg over the other. She placed her clasped hands on top of her lap appearing nonchalant and impassive.

She put on her war face. _It's show time,_ she thought and waited.

The nearing figure emerged. It was Lilith Medrea in her usual black skirt and smart indigo blouse with a black blazer over top. Her dark red hair was done up in a lose knot at the top of her head and her sharp features seemed more stern than ever. The woman was assessing the battlefield.

"I've been waiting for you," Integra murmured coolly.

The woman raised a thin eyebrow. "Oh, is that so…?"

"You must understand that I have a naturally biased opinion about servants, butlers and those of that ilk since Walter Dornez." Integra murmured, appearing no less a queen as she sat back in Alucard's chair. "Let's just say… he taught me a few things, _paladin_."

The tension in the room grew thick while both women stared each other down for a moment. The very air they breathed felt as if it were suddenly lacking oxygen. As if, the shadows in the room became a heavy miasma.

"I guess Victor squealed on me, then?"

"He didn't do it by choice and he was not the only one that squealed." The blonde assured. Integra would not tell Lilith that Marvin and Judy also brought forth evidence to prove her guilt in fear that it could get them hurt in the process. "You see, most people in general cannot be trusted and that became abundantly clear once _you_ arrived and all hell broke loose. I suspected nothing until people started claiming Alucard returned to his old habits and that video appeared on the news of him drinking Megan Blackwood's blood. He would _never_ do that. Someone was clearly out to sabotage, and to know Alucard's whereabouts, there needed to be a mole." She narrowed her good eye at Lilith. "Was this all in order to ruin my organization or to have Seras and Alucard sealed?"

For the first time since Lilith arrived, Integra noticed the gleam of metal blades spread between the other woman's fingers like extended nails, intricately weaved with lethal proficiency. She noticed that they were commando knives when Lilith shifted her weight and they glinted in the faint blue light provided in the room, resembling tiny swords. Integra wondered if Lilith was the one that provided Dolores with the blessed blades used to carve up Seras.

"That's only part of it." Lilith answered, her smile becoming shrewd and confident. "Ultimately getting rid of your vampires was the only way to get to you. Getting rid of _you_ is the start of something much, _much_ bigger, Integra. You see, it signifies the end of all vampires," she shared. Her speech began to morph into a diverse blend of Eastern European overtones accented with Italian as she began to reveal her true self. "We did all of this to get to you. You, a Hellsing, a vampire hunter, a mere mortal with two of the world's most devastating vampires at your command… why, it's _absurd_. Not even the Iscariot can deal with you because of them, but now, you have sealed them away. Without you, they will forever sleep and vampires across the globe will fear us when they discover we have taken down The No Life King, his fledgling and more importantly, the woman holding their leash. At first I thought Alucard's return would be a hindrance but it turned out to work in our favour."

Appearing unfazed, Integra questioned. "So am I some sort of catalyst for you people, for you and your cohorts to declare war on vampires?"

_"Exactly..."_

"Then why destroy me when we could work together to achieve the same goal?" Integra wondered.

"Because… you abuse your position as a child of God, you call yourself righteous and believe you are fighting for your faith when everything you do is blasphemous. The Hellsing family has dipped into sinful magic beyond what is right and wrong to achieve greatness, to build stronger weapons. You _made_ Alucard into what he is! You manipulated an evil creature into something deadlier than it already was, tamed it to work to your advantage. _That's_ playing God. _That's sacrilege!_ It's a hypocritical slap in the face of Christianity—a self-proclaimed holy organization that uses unholy monsters to do its bidding. I'm afraid we _do not_ see eye to eye, Integra."

"I guess we do not," Integra granted quietly and stabbed back. "Section XIII has a history of blasphemy that has been heard all over the world for centuries, truly you are the last person with the authority to pass judgement on me. If you're not willing to listen to reason, then let's have it, papist. Come fight me. We'll end this now!"

The paladin shook her head slightly and twittered with amusement, as if such a suggestion were hilarious. "My orders are to take you to my brother alive. You see, you are his prize and he shall be the one to end your miserable existence."

"Your brother…?"

"Sergiu Medrea."

Integra's lips parted slightly in surprise. "The hybrid operating the Crawford Gang is _your brother_? You have got to be joking."

"You know of the Crawford Gang? What _else_ did Victor tell you?" Lilith clenched her jaw with frustration. "It doesn't matter you will soon die and his secrets will die with you."

The Hellsing woman scowled as everything came into perspective. "You dare speak to me of moral standards when you willingly teamed up with a man who had a shape-shifting hybrid, Victor Payne, play Alucard's doppelganger to go around murdering young innocents, even an _entire_ church full of worshipers in order to frame him, Seras and ruin Hellsing's honour. Your brother worked alongside a mad priest so he could burn helpless vampires in a metal cage for kicks and profit, vampires he himself had spawned by an imprisoned vampire beneath the floors of a cathedral. You have _no right_ to speak to me about faithful hypocrisy!"

Lilith's cheeks reddened with shame and it infuriated her. " _That_ was not my idea… Sergiu, he—he works differently than I do. You must understand that his hatred for vampires runs deep and he would do _anything_ to wage war on them. He's had a deplorable life and I…"

"And you what…?" Integra snapped. "You hope to change him—hope to impart the faith of God onto him. Do you think he will find comfort in his paladin sister and change his evil, criminal ways? Do you think he will wage war any differently than how you and he waged war on me?"

Again, Lilith remained noxiously silent.

"The story you told me about your childhood, is it really true?" Integra challenged. "Or was that all a lie in order to gain my sympathy?"

"Of _course_ it's true!" Lilith replied, aghast. "Look, I only discovered Sergiu was still alive six months ago. I went to my home town, a small mountainous area in Moldavia." Her face began to soften a little as she remembered her birthplace. "It's a beautiful country, the people are friendly there and the air the freshest you ever breathed in. I went to visit my parent's grave, something I have not done in _two-hundred_ years, and I wasn't even sure the cemetery that the local records listed them buried, still existed. However, it was there. And that's where I found him, Sergiu, my brother, standing in front of our parent's grave stone."

Lilith continued.

"It was 1829 and I was nine years old when a vampire attacked my perfect family. We were so happy and my parents loved each other very much—they would kiss a dozen times a day. My father always brought posies home for mother after he finished working at the mill. Her face would light up and she would cook us the tastiest meals out of what seemed like nothing. We weren't rich but we lived like kings. My mother was magical to me. Then in a moment… in the blink of an eye, it was all gone. A vampire decided to make my pregnant mother his whore, right there in front of my father and myself one night in front of the fireplace—her screaming was all I ever heard for months, it nearly drove me mad. The vampire drank her blood and then he killed my father as if he was nothing but livestock, nothing at all and I… _destroyed him_."

Integra held her breath as Lilith told her story. She fished her cigars out of her pocket.

"I never felt such rage, pure murderous rage. And I didn't know what happened at first. It took me many years to understand I had some kind of God-given power to control blood with my mind. The vampire that killed my family suddenly exploded into a pile of bloody flesh. His cursed blood painted the walls of our once perfect home, it covered me from head to toe… his remains eventually turned to ashes and somehow I knew I had caused his death. I fainted after that and woke up in the doctor's office where I was told that my brother was cut from my dead mother's womb. What became of him, I never found out. Shortly after, some travelling Catholic nuns took me out of pity. They took me far away from my hometown, from orphanage to orphanage, as they went about their pilgrimage. They imparted the teachings of God to me. I even joined them in the sisterhood… until an Iscariot from Section XIII found me. He told me I had The Gift and that such gifts were highly regarded within their organization whose leader was the Pope _himself_. I lived in the Vatican for a long, long time."

Integra kept silent and smoked a cigar, listening intently.

"You must understand how much of an honour that was for me, to be accepted into an organization as powerful as theirs. Years of discipline and training, they made me into something much stronger under the will of God and I became a true holy warrior, a paladin, a white knight, fighting in the name of the Lord, upholding his creation by ridding the earth of foul demons rising up from the depths of Hell. I trained with Father Anderson."

"You _what_ …?" Integra could no longer withhold her silence.

Lilith actually laughed, her green eyes crested. "I see that you remember him, he was a wonderful man that cared about lost children like me, an extraordinary paladin. Monsters cowered in his wake." She sighed. "It still pains me to recall his death thirty years ago, killed by that fiend you love so much. Oh yes, don't look so surprised, Integra. I was there during the Battle of London. I fought with the paladins to save your city from the Millennium army destroying everything in their wake. But it was exactly then. Thirty years ago. That my adoration for Section XIII went out like a dying candle. Enrico Maxwell, His Holiness and everything we were supposed to stand for sunk beneath the mire of dishonour and lies. The organization I was working for did not care to protect people, and on the night the Nazi vampires ate up the civilians of London, my own forces joined them in killing innocents. Father Anderson did not agree with Maxwell's 9th crusade and his lust for power, or of his hopes to rid London of its rivaling Protestant believers all while under the guise of fighting off Millennium. He wanted the same thing I wanted: to cleanse the earth of evil supernatural beings. _That_ was our purpose."

Lilith threw up her hands, both clearly filled with blessed commando knives. Integra was quick to respond, grabbing her pistol from the holster beneath her jacket and fired off a swift shot.

The bullet struck Lilith directly in the forehead.

The woman's head snapped back but no blood burst forth and she did not lose her balance, she did not even drop one knife. She straightened and looked impatiently at Integra while the bullet was repelled from her body, squeezed out and the wound healed up.

Integra looked on with astonishment.

The paladin chuckled. "Save your bullets for the monsters, Integra. I told you I trained with Father Anderson, you should know better than to try killing me with mere bullets. It will definitely take more than that. I'm a regenerator with a natural telekinetic ability to control a person's blood. I can manipulate blood matter and so can Sergiu. Evidently, it is genetic." A thoughtful expression crossed her face. "I wonder if mother or father had this power, but of course they didn't live long enough for me to find out. Sergiu's blood control came with extra abilities after becoming a half-vampire half-human creature. It's a terrifying power that perhaps he himself can explain to you."

Clearly unfazed by the shot to the head, the woman continued. "You know, I saw you there, Integra Hellsing. I saw you that night thirty years ago, the princess of London commanding her forces, commanding her wicked vampires into battle. How arrogant you stood, watching the bloodshed… the Bloody General, that's the name I gave you that night. After Alucard unleashed his true potential, what did you think then, that such power was something to be in awe of? Did all of that destruction turn you on? Did you admire your dark prince while he drank the blood of millions of souls?" She made a thoughtful face. "But it didn't really work out very well in the end, did it? He vanished somewhere. Where did he go?"

"To a place that neither of us would understand, I assure you." Integra replied dryly, keeping her gun steady in her right hand even though she knew it was useless.

"No matter, that old geezer and his fledgling are the first in our fight to destroy all creatures of darkness, mark my words," Lilith promised. "My brother will finish you off and you'll never see your vampires again and we'll go on to cleanse the earth of vermin. No one ever again shall become a miserable hybrid and no family will feel the torture I felt that night… _never_ again."

Integra sniffed loudly at her woebegone tale, "And what of Sergiu and your meeting of him at the grave in your home country?"

Lilith's fiery expression became softer again. "Yes, of course—there he was standing before my parent's grave, my brother. I wondered when I saw him, 'Who is this handsome stranger standing before my parent's grave?' his youthful looks deceiving his age, as I didn't know yet that he was a dhampir or that he was my brother. You cannot imagine the happiness I felt when I discovered it was my long lost baby brother. United at last—we were family again. He told me of his horrible existence, of the gypsies who raised him and of the people that tortured them. He assured me it was the typical life of a hybrid—my brother—the iniquitous monster!" She clamoured in despair. "All his life he blamed vampires for what happened to him. All he desires is to rid the world of the evil bloodsuckers, to destroy them so that they cannot do to others what they did to him. Together, we decided to start with Hellsing and I could not agree more."

Integra dropped her half-burnt cigar to the stone floor at her feet. She snuffed it out under the sole of her shoe in front of Alucard's chair, twisting her foot as if she was crushing it on top of someone's head. "The Iscariot organization does not seem too pleased to see one of their prized paladins go AWOL. You stayed with them for thirty years even though your credence in them had died."

Lilith scowled. "One doesn't simply walk away with Iscariot secrets. I had to bide my time and plan well, and I had plenty of time to do just that, God has provided me with extended life. Surely, after everything I have given, he will let me keep my new family. Surely, he will assist us in our destruction of evil. I've kept hidden from Section XIII up until now… seems their sources have sniffed me out, though. It won't matter, once Sergiu and I deal with you, they'll never find me."

It was as Integra thought, she was Sergiu's main target and her gamble was paying off. If they ever hoped to locate him and his secret organization this was the risk she had to take. There was a good chance that Lilith was going to kill her herself, and if such should be attempted, Integra had a backup plan for that too. However, that wasn't happening. Now, it seemed, she would meet Sergiu and be brought to his location. Consequently, she had to stay alive until backup plan number two went into effect and rescue came.

Integra could not breathe easy yet.

"Come on, it's time to go. Alex has a car waiting outside… we've chatted far too long," Lilith claimed and in a flash, threw all her knives at Integra in one fell swoop.

Integra gasped and flinched, expecting to feel riddled with pain, but the knives simply pinned her to the seat. Her glasses slipped down her nose. Multiple blades pinned her to Alucard's chair through her clothes and hair, even her pant legs. She could not move at all and felt only the slightest scratch near her shoulder. Lilith's aim was deadly accurate.

Lilith chuckled at the scene before her. "Your Count isn't here to save you this time, Integra. You are just a weak human without those vampires to protect you and I'm going to remind you just how pathetic you are. Alex!" she summoned.

A tall, slender man with a fair complexion in a stylish dark business suit entered the room. He had neatly combed dark hair that he kept short and a black goatee he kept trim and neat. It seemed he had been hiding in the shadows all along, maybe even listening to their discussion.

"Are we finally ready to depart," he said, sounding a bit bored.

Integra could tell by his accent that he was British. She tried to pull herself out of the chair but all it did was rip her suit.

"Now, now," the man called Alex murmured. "You'll destroy a perfectly good suit if you keep doing that. There is no reason to fuss… no one is going to save you. Between Lilith and me, you don't stand a bleedin' chance. I promise that you will like the facilities that we are going to take you to its quite nice there. Believe me. Sergiu has been looking forward to meeting you for a very long time. Don't you want to see it?"

At first Integra began to glower and say, "No, I would never…" And then she found herself slowly agreeing as if in a trance. The words came out of her mouth as if she had no control. "…I'd be happy to go with you."

Alex simply smiled. "That's a good girl, because if you don't come quietly I'll be forced to hurt you. And I don't think Sergiu would like that too much. He wants all the fun for himself." He studied her carefully for a moment, a clever look in his dark eyes. "Are you wondering what's happening to you? It's easy really, I'm compelling you. It's such a strange feeling, don't you think?"

Integra struggled to keep him out of her mind. She closed her eye to block him out and listened to the sounds around her instead. Her heart was hammering against her chest.

Alex just laughed, short and taunting like. "Lilith, collect your knives so she can get up. We don't have all damn night and we don't want to be spotted. The less people involved in this, the better… you know how it works. Dealing with all this shit lately threatens to expose our community and I _won't_ stand for it. Your brother has become a little irresponsible lately… I warned him, and now I've got to clean up his mess."

Saying nothing, Lilith approached the Hellsing director to collect her knives. Integra could hear the rustling of the paladin's clothes and smell the scent of her perfume. It was sour and sweet. The chair barely moved while Lilith retrieved the knives and Integra kept her eyes closed focusing on keeping Alex out of her mind. When she thought they least expected it, she swiftly grabbed her sword from behind the seat just as Lilith pulled the last knife free from her right arm and swung it around furiously with a roar.

Integra snapped open her good eye only to see the blade had stopped an inch from Lilith's neck. The blade did not budge, her right arm frozen in mid-swing. Some kind of power was forcing her from completing the motion. Shooting pain seared up and down her arms, deep in the tissues. Integra growled with frustration.

Alex raised his brows. "Oh, this one is full of tricks… I suppose we should expect no less from a Hellsing. She even managed to worm her way out of my command. How impressive." He glanced at the ex-Iscariot. "We've had enough fun, Lilith, stop pissing around. Let's go. Put the barrier on her as a precaution and get her out of that chair already."

The paladin scowled at Integra and produced a round, bronze medal on a humble leather string from her pocket. The front of the thin medal, no bigger than a large coin, depicted a monk holding a cross. On it's back was a cup full of poison with alphabetic letters. "This holy artifact once belonged to Pope Leo IX," she told her and placed the necklace around Integra's neck.

"The Saint Benedict medal…."

"That's right, Integra, but this isn't a forged copy of it… it's the original. And it's been said that this medal once saved Pope Leo's life after a snake bit him, its poison never reaching his heart. Just as it did for Saint Benedict, it will ward off evil and shine light upon you. As one set of the letters declare on the back of the talisman, 'May the holy cross be my light! May the dragon never be my overlord.'," she spouted. "With this, no heathen shall find you—just as it worked for me while I worked here at Hellsing. Alucard and Seras could not detect a thing." Once the medal was secure, Lilith took a step back. "Now, you're going to walk out of here without any trouble. Between Alex and me, you won't be able to flee or even blink unless we tell you to. Now get up."

As if pushed, Integra got out of the chair and stood up ramrod straight. She stood against her will and knew Lilith was the one controlling her movements using her blood. It felt like there were invisible hands pressing against her, keeping her from falling over. If she tried to fight it, the pain that met her was excruciating. No matter how brave she was, Integra could not stop the force of panic squeezing her chest.

She was about to enter dangerous territory.

Alex reached over and took the fencing sword from Integra's death grip, prying her fingers away from the leathery gold hilt with its intricate metal hand guard. Then, he plucked the pistol from her other hand as well with equal struggle. With an incredulous huff, he propped the sword up against the side of the chair and placed the gun on Alucard's small table. Then he returned his attention to Integra. "Let's go to the car. It's parked out front. Are you coming along, Integra?"

In addition to the invisible hands, it felt like there was a single voice in her head telling her what to say. "Yes, I'll go with you," she heard herself say.

"Lovely," Alex praised, "Just lovely."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the delay but life is throwing me curveballs! I hope you enjoy the update and all its glory XD! Things begin to move in a different direction. I chose Moldavia due to a friend of mine that comes from there and I thought it was a lovely place for Lilith and Sergiu to come from. I didn't tell them it was for a pair of bad guys tho lulz! But ack! So much news about Lilith and Sergiu and gang! I wanted to give Alexander Anderson a nod and what better than to have an orphan kid become his apprentice? A kid with cool human blood telekinesis powers?
> 
> Integra was waiting for them *winks*
> 
> If you get a chance to read up on the St. Benedict medal it's kinda cool stuff!
> 
> Next Chapter 18: Keeping Our Enemies Closer. Marvin and Judy prove to be Integra's most loyal servants and the Convention of Twelve realise their mistake.


	18. Keep Your Enemies Closer

**London - August 20th, 9:13 p.m.**

Marvin Bartram's phone started vibrating across the passenger seat like a tiny jackhammer. He snatched it up quickly, fumbling with it a little in his haste. It simply read:

_It's time._

He bolted up straight, quickly adjusted the car seat and stared at the message for a moment. A bead of sweat broke out on his forehead, but not because tonight was exceptionally warm on this midsummer evening in London. He was sitting in an air-conditioned vehicle sipping on a cold grape slushie in an oversized cup. Marvin felt clammy all of the sudden because this text meant his boss predicted the truth. It also meant that she was now a hostage to that crazy Eye organization, the reinstated Crawford gang.

 _It's time!_ Yes, it was time to go see Rob Walsh.

With a sigh, Marvin looked across the street at Rob Walsh's fancy three-story townhome. It was like a mansion in the middle of the city. He'd been following the man's whereabouts for days waiting for the word from Judy—Integra's personal maid. Of course, it had to be well after suppertime at his private residence, such an inconvenient time and Marvin felt hesitant about intruding on the old timer but Integra gave Judy and him this mission personally. She was depending on them and they could not let her down. Right now, Mr. Walsh was the only person they could trust and they needed his help.

Initially, Judy had come to Marvin telling him that she witnessed Lilith collecting Seras's blood off the wall after those Iscariot bastards left, after that blond-haired one shot at Seras in the lobby of the mansion. Unbelievably, Lilith Medrea had removed _every_ speck of blood… leaving nothing behind not even a stain.

At first, Marvin did not go directly to Integra he wanted solid proof of his own and was sure he could find it. He began an investigation but they could not find a thing regarding her background information, everything Lilith gave Integra appeared customary and truthful, her records secured at an expert level.

They had to dig deeper.

He and the rest of Hellsing's intelligence team scoured all of the closed-circuit camera footage they could get their hands on, even if it meant hacking into private sectors. It took a while, but Lilith's image finally surfaced on Heathrow Airport's surveillance footage and what they discovered was something Integra _had_ to see for herself. On the night of the cathedral massacre, Marvin and Judy took the credible evidence to her in person.

Setting his slushie into the cup holder, Marvin checked his reflection in the rear view mirror and straightened a wayward lock of ginger hair next to his ear. He wrinkled his nose to see that he had purple-stained lips from the icy drink, but time was of the essence, with or without the purple stains. He got out of the black Honda and walked across the street carrying a big envelope.

Rob Walsh was sitting at his desk in his regal study, smoking a cigarette in his long ornate cigarette holder, watching a football game on the television mounted on the wall in the far corner of the room when one of Hellsing's agents walked into his office. The man was stocky and of medium height wearing civilian clothes, a white t-shirt with an Iron Bru logo on the front and a pair of dark jeans. Yet, his serious demeanor told Rob his visit was not a casual one.

"Thank you, Dirk," Rob told his tall, lanky butler who stood at the door awaiting commands. "Please, close the door on your way out."

With a pleasant nod of his head, the butler quietly left the two men alone.

Rob Walsh picked up a small remote and muted the game on the television before tilting his wrinkled old face, surrounded by long wisps of grey hair beneath a red military beret, up to look at the Hellsing man. "My man tells me you are Marvin Bartram, head of the Hellsing Organization's intelligence team, correct?"

"That's right, Mr. Walsh. Sir Integra has entrusted me to come straight to you the moment her kidnapping takes place—"

"Wait… _her what!_ " Rob choked out and despite himself began to cough a little as some foul cigarette smoke scorched his throat.

Marvin did not delay.

He placed the big yellow unmarked envelope in front of Rob Walsh gently. "She has instructed me to show you this and tell you everything. If you will, before we discuss anything further, sir," he said urging the royal military officer decorated with several badges and war medals upon his beige dress uniform to look at the contents of the envelope with a wave of his hand.

As Rob Walsh cleared his throat, he placed the cigarette holder between his teeth and nimbly opened the envelope. He pulled out a few large glossy photos depicting images taken from surveillance cameras. His mouth parted immediately upon what he saw. The cigarette between his teeth fell on his lap and began burning into his pant leg.

"Shit," he cursed and reached for the cigarette promptly. He placed it on the ashtray and slapped the photos down on top of the desk in clear disgruntlement.

On his desk were six photos of Lilith Medrea and Alastair Kershaw meeting up at the airport on August 4th at approximately 2pm in the afternoon. In a few of the pictures, they hugged and kissed each other, the two of them clearly _more_ than just friends.

"These pictures were taken the same day we received that severed finger at one of our meetings a few weeks back." Rob sighed and picked up his cigarette again. "Why didn't Integra come to me with this sooner?"

"For one, we only discovered this actual piece of incriminating evidence a week ago but by then everyone was pulling the plug on the Hellsing Organization. Beforehand, the Hellsing team has been diligently investigating alongside the proper authorities ever since that severed finger got delivered to the Twelve. Even then, someone covered their tracks and had the owner of the finger assassinated at the police station before he could be questioned after the events in Winchester County. This Crawford gang, which we were calling the Evil Eye Organization up until now, and its leader, remains at large. No one has seen this man's face. He keeps a very low profile along with his operation."

Marvin explained and continued.

"It's like he's a bloody myth, a shadow. Perhaps Alucard's return spurred them into action—perhaps they felt threatened. Whatever the case, Sir Integra concluded that the victimised girls, the death of Juliet Morgan at the debutante ball and the St. George Cathedral attack happened to discredit Hellsing's vampires. In order to get Alucard and Seras locked away. And Integra knew the only way to get close to a group like this was to make it look like they succeeded with their scheme. Before the events at Prospect Cemetery and St. George's Cathedral she could only speculate on this theory, but even then, I got the impression she suspected she was their main target. However, Integra didn't know about Mr. Kershaw until I showed her the photos."

"Damn it all to hell!" Rob hollered and pounded a fist on top of the desk. "When Alastair urged the Knights to give the order to shut down Hellsing and petitioned for Alucard and Seras to be locked up, it didn't feel right—but we had _no_ _choice_. For Christ's sake, Dagwood's daughter and her boyfriend were brutally murdered at the ball. An _entire_ _church full of people_ got slaughtered on live television by individuals that looked exactly like Alucard and Seras… there was no evidence to lead us elsewhere. Still, I refused to witness that ritualistic bullshit of putting them to sleep—didn't want any part of it, but Integra had no choice now either, did she? She promised to lock them up if the vampire attacks didn't stop." Rob scoffed bitterly as he began to see the bigger picture. "But she knew all along that they wouldn't stop and that she would eventually have to lock them up. Integra knew someone was trying to ruin her reputation and frame Alucard and Seras. She tried to warn us about a doppelganger pretending to look like Alucard. She even took counter measures by propositioning the idea of an anti-freak squad in case such events unfolded."

"It's not clear as to what these people want with Sir Integra exactly but we can assume it's twisted… her life is most definitely at stake." Marvin reminded and offered, "Let's not forget that the Crawford gang had connections with Bishop Crane and his group of holy hunters before it was revealed that the Iscariot's were investigating him and his diocese—currently they have the man in their custody but he's of no concern to us. It can only be assumed that the Crawford gang worked with Winmore Crane for either money or they were hoping to recruit members, but why they would want to increase their numbers is beyond our knowledge. Yes, they used a man named Victor Payne, a vampire-human half-breed to be Alucard's lookalike of which Alucard killed and gained this information about Sergiu and Gage Crawford. Apparently, even Alucard did not see Sergiu's face after he drank Victor's blood… he only heard his voice. Ultimately, Integra did this so we could find this elusive group and destroy them."

Marvin gave a deep sigh.

"I'm sorry we could not come to you sooner about Bishop Winmore Crane, Victor Payne, Gage Crawford and his gang information until this moment, but it could have jeopardised the entire plan. Now it is up to us to do _whatever_ we can to save Integra Hellsing. That is why we came to you, sir. You have right of entry to resources we need to help locate those bastards. Plus, you have the firepower seeing as Hellsing has been disbanded."

It took a moment for all of that to sink in. "We must wake up Alucard and Seras right away," Rob insisted urgently.

"It's already being taken care of, sir."

The older man looked at the redheaded Hellsing agent sharply with surprise. "Well, thank God Integra had a backup plan for them, too." Mr. Walsh's face grew dark and serious. He shook his head. "This isn't right. She should not have to sacrifice her honour, her family's honour or her bloody life, alone… we have to gather the troops and go after them. We _must_ correct this." The corner of his mouth curved up with a devilish smirk and he chuckled deep in his throat.

"Have you ever met His Majesty, Mr. Bartram?" Rob Walsh asked the man in the room.

"No, sir," Marvin replied.

"Well then, prepare yourself and remember your place when you do. We have some serious work to carry out, but it's nothing that the British Army can't take care of," he boasted proudly. "Now, don't say another word." Rob instructed as he picked up a sleek looking mobile phone and dialed a number. "I have a few calls to make."

* * *

**Hellsing Manor, 9:22 p.m.**

As soon as the doors behind Integra and her captors closed, Judy sent Marvin the instructed text message.

Now she rambled excitedly to herself as she ran to the dungeons. She rambled about things spoken between Lilith and Integra, including the one named Alex, so she could relay the information to Alucard and Seras when she woke them up. She rambled because of trepidation. Her mistress had given her this important role and she did not want to mess things up.

Judy hurried through the big old mansion and went down the steps into the damp, dark sub-levels. First, she went into a secret room that contained a large stainless steel refrigerator containing vampire provisions. Blood. Stocked once a month, this fridge contained a variety of blood types and especially Seras's favourite, type O negative, which Integra got for her occasionally because that type was greatly needed by humans.

It was beyond the housekeeper why type O was so tasty to the draculina, but Seras was a vampire and Judy had no idea regarding a vampire's gastronomic tastes.

Only Judy was not collecting Sera's dinner and she was not here to stock the upstairs fridge with new blood packs for the live-in vampires, she was collecting blood given by Integra herself. She had no idea her boss placed some of her own blood in safekeeping but on the night of the cathedral disaster, Integra imparted that, _"If anything were to happen to me, you are to wake up Alucard and Seras using this blood right away"_.

Judy dug around the middle shelf for the bag hidden behind all the other blood packs marked with the year '1989' in silver marker, the year her father Arthur passed away. Once she had it, Judy slammed the door shut and continued deeper into the basement.

When she came face to face with the last door marked with a huge six-pointed star, Judy felt a chill creep over her skin. She had never been into this part of the mansion before. It was strictly off-limits to servants and visitors, and for the first time, she truly understood why. This family was no stranger to dark magic and Lord knows the kind of secrets the Hellsing's kept in this god-forsaken basement. She wasn't afraid of these two vampires but she still couldn't shake off the burst of adrenaline from earlier or the ominous feeling this section of the mansion gave her. It was spooky down here and quiet except for the distant clang of pipes and hum of the boiler room.

She turned the handle and the door creaked as she opened it. Judy switched on the flashlight she carried and directed the beam inside the large chilly cell. The light landed on the desiccated corpses of Seras and Alucard. Judy made a distressed sound at what she saw never having seen such a thing before. The two vampires looked like dried out old mummies, grey and shriveled up. Their eyes were nothing but empty black sockets and their heads were tilt towards their chests as if they had been asleep down here for two thousand years.

For a moment, Judy felt as if she were an explorer in some great old pyramid, discovering some ancient secret. She chuckled weakly, trying to ward off the tension she felt and approached the two lifeless vampires.

"You need to open this thing you silly woman," she murmured as she pointed the light at the blood packet she carried, realising she had not brought along any scissors and that there was nothing sharp lying around. The bag was completely sealed up and there was _no way_ she was going to rip off the end bit of the small tube leading out of it with her teeth. Ugh!

Then an idea struck her.

She knelt, placed everything on the cold stone floor, and began to remove a gold floral earring from her left ear. With the help of the flashlight, she punctured the blood bag with the sharp part of her earring. Straight away, blood seeped through the small hole and she picked it up and squeezed it gently so the blood fell on Alucard and then Seras.

Like thick ink, the blood dripped and splattered on their faces and clothes. At first, nothing happened and Judy felt a swell of panic spread through her body—what if it didn't work? But then, all of the sudden, a strange hissing sound filled the room as if a few drops of water landed onto the surface of a scorching pan. By the dull glow of the flashlight, Judy could see a white mist surrounding the two vampires and before her eyes, she saw life returning to them both. Skin re-grew and their eyes began to light up with a vibrant red glow, their chests began to rise and fall as oxygen filled their lungs once again.

It all happened in moments.

"Sir…?" Seras was the first to say, sounding a little dry and hoarse. "Your blood tastes kind of funny."

Judy felt some of her tension dissipate as she looked on warily, watching the magic unfold. "It's not Sir Integra. It's me, Judy Hadaway."

"Integra's dotting maid?" Alucard rasped deeply.

Judy rolled her eyes. "That's right. Integra gave me instructions to wake you both up if something should happen to her. It has. Now I'm here to resuscitate—"

 _"—where is she?"_ Alucard grumbled from where he sat, cutting the woman off. Easily, he ripped the chains away from his body, the metal breaking apart like delicate gold jewelry. One second he was sitting against the wall and in the next, hovering menacingly over Judy. "She is not in the house. I cannot feel her presence anywhere on this earth. Tell me where she is… _now_."

"Master… wait," Seras pleaded when she saw the distress on the other woman's face. "Don't scare her like that she's only doing what she was told to do by Integra. If it wasn't for Judy we'd still be dried up dog treats." She took a moment to break the blessed chains away just as easily as Alucard did and got to her feet, letting the metal drop to the floor with a clatter. Seras stood up and looked over at Alucard who was still in his black jumpsuit.

"Enough of these games," Alucard warned. "I know Integra and you have been hiding something important but now the jig is up. _I want answers._ " He demanded, taking a step away from the housekeeper. He flashed his cold glare at Seras. "She has been controlling her thoughts, blocking me from reading her mind and she's gotten really good at it. _It's infuriating._ "

Seras wasn't sure how to say it delicately so she just spit it out. "Master, Integra knew that if you knew she planned on giving herself up to the bad guys, you'd spoil the mission. You wouldn't have been able to keep your anger in check. We all know what she means to you, any fool could see it. It's no surprise she had to hide it from you. If this plan didn't play out we would lose this opportunity to find out where they operate or who is in charge. These guys are _really_ clever and they would have seen right through our hoax if we didn't make it believable."

Alucard was clearly annoyed. "That severed finger was not sent to all of the Twelve Knights… it was sent to _her_ , just as I thought. A declaration of war against Hellsing. Integra asked me to trust her several times, but _this…_ this is a reckless plan. I did not think that walking into enemy territory was part of her grand stratagem. Her stupid pride is going to get her killed and I _refuse_ to lose her to these extremist fools!" He growled with pure anguish at the very suggestion.

The vampire snatched the blood pack out of Judy's hands and bit into the soft pouch like a savage animal.

Seras was watching her master. _No fair!_ Alucard was going to drink that tasty virgin blood all by himself. "I don't like that it has to be this way but I know that we will find her, master. _We must find her!_ Part of her plan _is_ that we find her. You know she blames herself for what happened with Millennium, right. I think she fears this group will become another Millennium. Once she told me that if she could have only known how the Major was manipulating everyone, including Hellsing… that, it could have been stopped… that so many people would not have had to die. I think she'd do anything in her power not to let someone manipulate her that way again."

Alucard stopped drinking and lifted his mouth from the blood packet. He flashed his eyes at Seras. "She has mentioned this revelation to me, yes, and I told her it was madness to think such things, that leaders, such as herself, are often witness to mass death in countries gripped by war. Still, there had to be other ways to find this Sergiu other than allowing herself to be captured."

Judy the housekeeper scoffed as she stuck her earring into blouse pocket. "Well, that's _no way_ to speak about your master, Alucard. No matter what she has done, Integra was sharp enough to see through this scheme and find a way behind enemy lines. She's done all this when most would have given up after all the horrible events that has taken place in the last two weeks. She even took measures to ensure that you and Seras wake up so you can find her swiftly and destroy those animals that have her. She depends on you to help her now, but what she doesn't need, is your _bad attitude_ ," she chastised.

Seras looked on with a smug expression and resisted the urge to laugh. It was fun to watch Alucard get into trouble and she thought to herself righteously. _That's what you get for being a nasty old vampire, master._

Alucard thrust the unfinished blood bag over to Seras, who took it gleefully. He licked his lips clean in a rather raunchy kind of way with his long tongue and stared at the small housekeeper remarkably, his eyes a hotter shade of red now that his undead body was filled with fresh life. "You're a brave little woman yourself," he commended Judy and gave a deep cavernous chuckle. "I'm surprised you came down here by yourself to wake up two hungry vampires who could easily eat you and no one would ever know where you went."

"You don't scare me," Judy retort, standing her ground. "Besides, I'm doing this for Integra and I know you want to find her, so… I will overlook the fact that you are acting like a mule and share what I know. Integra left me and Marvin urgent orders to pass onto you and Seras."

"I'm all ears," Alucard assured politely, amused that she called him a mule.

Judy swiftly explained all that had happened up from the moment she caught Lilith collecting Seras's blood off the wall, to her meeting with Integra and Marvin on the night of the cathedral massacre. She then shared what she heard between Lilith, Alex and Integra.

"Lilith is Sergiu's sister. No way!" Seras exclaimed. "She was right not to trust her and she knew she'd slip up eventually, 'Sometimes it is best to keep your enemies closer', Sir Integra told me that in private. Can you believe Lilith is an Iscariot? And she used a holy artifact to hide her true identity from us?"

"It makes sense why her scent was off when I sniffed her the first time," Alucard offered. "The Saint Benedict medal is working as some kind of holy barrier, and now she's most likely using it on Integra to block her from us. Hrmph, I'm surprised I didn't notice it."

"By the way, sniffing a person like that was a really rude way of checking out someone's identity," Seras reminded him. "Really… it was wrong."

Alucard held up his hands indifferently. "That's what dogs do."

Seras lifted one brow, unimpressed. "And your point…?"

"Is there a point?"

The draculina just blinked. "Forget it!"

Judy had no idea what the two vampires were carrying on about and asked, "Why do you think Lilith collected your blood, Seras?"

The female nosferatu looked bewildered as she held the now empty blood bag in her hands. Integra's delicious blood was flowing in her starved veins. "I really don't know…"

"Sergiu mentioned at the cathedral something about being in the possession of one's blood and how their time and memory is construed," Alucard recalled his short chat with the man that night. "He mentioned you personally."

 _"Me…?"_ Seras looked astonished at her master.

"He mentioned you by name." Alucard said. "I believe he was the one responsible for messing with your mind that night. It would seem that Lilith gave him your blood. Judy said she overheard Lilith speak about powers over blood while kidnapping Integra. No wonder she was able to remove your blood from the wall without leaving a trace."

"That bitch!"

"But Sergiu's power is a bit different than Lilith's, perhaps because he's a hybrid and she is not. Seems Sergiu can control someone when he has consumed their blood. The power to control a person's perceptions," Alucard continued to theorise. "How wonderful, I can't wait to meet this foe. He is going to die a thousand deaths after what he's done to my Queen, the Hellsing Organization and for being an all out piece of shit."

"Do you think that's what he wants with Integra, her blood?" Seras wondered incredulously.

Alucard frowned, pushing aside intriguing thoughts about strange powers and interesting foes.

"It's hard to say, but if what Judy overheard is true, Integra's death is their inaugural statement to declare war against vampires. Starting with Hellsing and getting rid of us was excellent strategy. It is the perfect place to start. They put up a valiant effort but unfortunately for them Integra is a remarkable human, capable of fighting her own battles in her way. Their plan had a few holes and she took advantage of it. Their futility is to our advantage." The No Life King stopped speaking for a moment and fisted his white-gloved hands at his sides with fury as a dire thought invaded his mind. "However, this Sergiu Medrea has summoned Integra to him personally as his 'prize'. What he intends to do to her—I cannot help but think the worst."

* * *

**London – August 20th, 10:47 p.m.**

It only took about an hour or so for Rob Walsh to call upon his trusted, influential fellow Knights and to assemble them privately in His Majesty's presence without Alastair Kershaw in attendance. They gathered inside an old underground bunker close to the King's palace once used frequently during WWII by Winston Churchill during his fight against Adolf Hitler.

"And Churchill himself once said, _'You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.'_ ," Rob Walsh told the group of people seated at a large conference table under the harsh fluorescent glow of an industrial overhead light, as he finished debriefing them on everything that has happened. He explained everything that Marvin Bartram told him. "Right now Integra Hellsing is standing up to her enemies but… she _cannot_ do it alone. She mustn't."

The King of England felt moved to speak. "A great injustice has been done unto Hellsing and her organization… we must restore her family honour for they have dedicated their lives to serving this country."

Everyone murmured and nodded in agreement, even Mr. Dagwood Morgan who looked down at his clasped freckled hands in silent grief. The loss of his daughter was still fresh on his mind but knowing that the real culprits still ran loose and that Integra was staking everything on stopping them made him feel certain guilt.

Spread across the table was the photos of Lilith and Alastair and information and pictures about the old Crawford gang run by Evil Eye Gage, as he was nicknamed back in the day. Records showed Gage Crawford to be a notorious gangster, a powerful wealthy man that operated in the illegal sales of weapons and drugs. He was at his prime during the late 1890's, where nobody with good sense messed with him. Not if they valued their life, that is, as he was also known to be extremely violent and used ghastly methods to execute people. One famous method was burning a person alive in a metal cage.

"As we speak, I've got a few people assigned to look through the National Archives for anything related to the name Gage Crawford, which appears to be his real name. If he owned property anywhere, a title search could produce a chain of titles and that could give us a few possible locations to begin our search," Sir Hugh Irons shared confidently. He looked up from a sheet of paper he was holding and adjusted his square-shaped spectacles with an index finger.

Marvin offered. "We've looked through all electronic deeds, but there is nothing related to the name 'Crawford', except for the usual criminal exploits back in his day. My guess is that they had someone delete such information from the online archives."

"Yes, but those deeds still exist as a hard copy in a secured location in a bomb proof stockroom," Walden Blackensfield said and twittered softly. "After England experienced the first round of Nazis back in the 1940's, the government made sure to put such records in a safe place with all the air raids going on. So that means they even survived The Battle of London."

"I hate to say it but even at this time in the future, a time when I thought I'd be dead and buried by now, we still can't depend on technology," Rob Walsh mused and a few people laughed at his joke. "Besides, we Englishmen are famous for keeping our enemies closer than we keep our friends… if there is dirt to be found on someone we'll find it."

"Hear. Hear." The Convention of Twelve sounded.

 _"You better hope you find it."_ A menacing voice filled the room, a voice known all too well by the people in the underground bunker. "You better hope you find it because if you don't… I will personally destroy each and every one of you pathetic lumps of meat."

All heads snapped up and looked around. They saw no one.

" _Yeah_ —what he said." Another known voice assured indignantly. "If you had all paid attention before, this problem might have been dealt with a lot smoother. Maybe we could have come up with a better plan."

"Alucard and Seras Victoria," Marvin expressed with huge relief. "I'm pleased to see you both made it."

In one corner of the room at the end of the long conference table, Alucard and Seras materialised out of thin air sporting their usual attire, Alucard in his standard red frock coat, dark suit and decorative necktie, glasses and his wide-brimmed hat. And Seras in a burgundy Hellsing uniform, tall stockings and boots, her blonde hair in its usual short spiky style with her Harkonnen cannon strapped to her back.

The group of people, plus the king himself, looked over at the two Hellsing vampires.

"We got your message," Alucard told Marvin, waving his mobile at him. "Thanks for the location of this undisclosed assembly. I'd _hate_ to miss it." The sarcasm was thick in his tone.

"You both have every right to be angry with us," Rob Walsh began to say holding up one hand reasonably. "But right now we need to focus on finding Integra and putting a stop to this Sergiu character and his sister, Lilith. I assure you… we are working diligently on that right now. Our people are looking through property deeds."

The No Life King gave no reply as he surveyed the people in the room and the photos on the table. He understood the connection between Lilith and Alastair right away and grunted. His eyes went to the aging King Charles with his ruddy cheeks dressed in a snappy beige suit at the end of the table, two armed guards standing behind him. He thought about the king's mother, Queen Elizabeth II of whom he quite admired in the past. However, when Mr. Penwood began to speak the vampire's gaze went to him, the fluorescent light reflecting off his round Wilson safety glasses.

"As soon as we get some leads you two will be privy to every detail. In fact, I would like if we could work together on this, no more secrets. Marvin explained all that has been going on and hopefully you and Seras will fill in the blanks now that you have returned," Gregory offered. "And when we find Integra, and we _will_ … nothing will be spared in our rescue efforts."

"The anti-freak squad…?" Alucard suggested, noting the new air of confidence surrounding Penwood as of late. It would seem that the man is taking great delight in leading England's new monster squad.

"That and Hellsing's paramilitary, of course." Gregory cast his dark eyes at Seras respectably. "We all hoped that you would lead the Hellsing troops in Integra's absence and prepare them for war against this hybrid group, Miss Victoria. Each member is currently being contacted and sent back to Hellsing headquarters and will be awaiting your commands if you should so agree to lead them."

"Yes, of course, no problem," Seras replied directly. "Shall I go now?"

"Indeed, but first, I believe His Majesty would like word with you," Mr. Penwood claimed awkwardly.

Seras's face brightened as she looked over at King Charles with a cheerful wave and a smile. "Hey there, Chuck! Long time no see. It's good to see you've come to help out," she praised in such a forthcoming manner that it mortified the stuffy Convention members. Nonetheless, the king merely chuckled and Seras walked over to the other end of the table where His Majesty stood up from his chair to receive her personally. The draculina knelt on one knee in front of him and the king, much to the astonishment of the onlookers, reached out to pat the vampire on top of her head graciously.

Alucard raised his brows at the sight. It would seem, while in his thirty-year absence, that his fledgling claimed the torch that he once held and now the realm's monarch praised her for her good deeds. It was a humbling moment for Alucard but he felt rather proud of her. Yet, a part of him cursed that fat major for taking away all that time, reminding him of the fact that he really missed out on a whole lot while he was gone.

"It's been a while since we last spoke, Seras Victoria," the king said to her. "It saddens me to see you without Integra. I know you care about her, as a sister would, perhaps even as a daughter. You have done _so much_ in your efforts to re-build London over the years and you do _so much_ to protect the United Kingdom, I just want to assure you that I am on your side. Whatever you need in this trying process… just ask, and it is yours."

" _Really?_ Whatever I want?" Seras questioned eagerly.

"Anything within reason," King Charles replied amicably, humour lighting up his eyes at her childish comeback.

A playful smile appeared on Seras's face. "Can I whisper something in your ear, sir? Just in case it sounds stupid and you don't think it's a good idea," she requested.

The faint blush that appeared on the king's old face told everyone that he would love nothing more than to have the beautiful Seras Victoria whisper in his ear. A few eyeballs in the room shifted warily to look at their neighbour, not one of them ever getting this kind of privilege with his majesty.

"Of course," King Charles answered Seras. He leaned down to bring a notably large ear closer to the vampire and the two guards standing behind him glanced at one another with concern.

Alucard watched the spectacle and broke out in bouts of rapturous chuckles, clapping his hands together at the other end of the table. Evidently, he overheard everything and thought. _Brilliant!_ His fledgling _definitely_ took after him.

* * *

**Highway A226 – Kent County, 10:48 p.m.**

"Where are you taking me?" Integra demanded sitting in the back of an SUV equipped with tinted windows. Outside she could see the countryside growing darker as the lights of urban living became less and less, homes and businesses becoming sparse and far between.

They were leaving the city and the road ahead looked as if they were driving into an endless black tunnel.

"Did you think we only worked within the city?" Lilith offered dubiously. She sat beside Integra in one of the back seats. She relented. "It doesn't really matter. Stop asking so many questions. It's pointless."

"The ride is almost over and we're not far from our destination," Alex commented from up front as he drove the fancy black Cadillac Escalade. "The property looks a lot better during the day, it's a shame that we are arriving at night… the view of the river and the surrounding village is quite charming. Are you comfortable?"

Invisible bonds created by Alex and Lilith's powers bound her to her seat. How comfortable could she be? She could move neither her arms nor her legs, but she could speak when given permission.

"I'm fine," she answered tight-lipped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What would we do without Marvin and Judy? Integra is lucky to have such loyal people working for her. Alucard and Seras are back. Yay! The bad guys almost got away with it... almost XD! However, now Seras and Alucard and Twelve MUST find Integra and help her. The story is far from over yet. Also, I have a headcanon that it would take a Hellsing's blood to wake up a dessicated Alucard. Seras... I'm not 100% sure if that headcanon relates to her though but I did write it as such in this fic. She is Alucard's fledgling so perhaps. Also, yes, Integra did entrust some of her plans to Seras in secret, that's how much she trusts her.
> 
> Just some thoughts. A part of me saw Integra taking on all this responsibility because she doesn't always want to depend on her vampires to do the dirty work. I wanted to show how strong of a woman she can be without them, how cunning and shrewd when needed. That she can manipulate others just as well as they try to manipulate her. Her choice may not be the wisest because she's in big trouble now. You'll have to read on to find out what happens lol!
> 
> Next. Chapter 19: The Way You Taught Me. A look into Sergiu's beginnings, how he met Gage Crawford and how he came to be the monster that he is today. 
> 
> ***I know this is a bit of a backstory chapter but please give it a chance, it had to be done. I promise you won't be disappointed! I put my heart and soul into this chapter to give you a look at Sergiu's life. It explains a lot about the character and is vital to the plot. It is a chapter filled with ups and downs. I await to hear what you will all think about it***
> 
> Reviewers: Many thanks to those that are following and to those that left kudos!


	19. The Way You Taught Me

**Moldavia – 1829**

"There is no one willing to take the infant."

"No one…?"

"Not a soul in the village. Everyone believes him cursed. Rumours are running rampant about the attack on the Medrea family the other night. They say a great evil killed the mother and father."

"But _what_ killed the evil?" A second man insisted heatedly. "Other rumours have surfaced that it was the girl taken away by those Catholic nuns… the sister, Lilith. Some think she killed the family. Question is: if she did not, how did she survive that horror?"

"A miracle of God, perhaps?" An elderly apothecary heaved a great sigh beneath his barrel-sized chest. "It's an anonymity that we may never know. Oh, Corneliu…" he lamented. "I do not know what I'm going to do, not even the orphanage will have him. They insist on euthanasia… such a cruel sentence."

"But I'm afraid they are right, Filip… we cannot do anything else for this infant—it's probably for the best. He's premature, although, oddly enough, not underweight for eight months and appears to have reached full gestation. It doesn't matter. Let me take care of it. I'll bury the body in the cemetery—I'll put the soul at ease. I'll take proper precautions. And then you can forget about such troubles and we'll clean the foul omens lingering over the town—over your practice. It's not something you want damaging your business."

It took the doctor a few moments to reply and he when he did, he did so with pure wretchedness. "It's a terrible thing… just terrible."

"Terrible, yes… but it _is_ for the best."

Nearby, a worker girl overheard the conversation between the village doctor and the town undertaker and inhaled a sharp breath. _They want to kill a child!_ The girl was almost a woman—seventeen years old, and soon to be married to a young man arranged by her father. She was beautiful, exotic, with long black hair beneath a colourful scarf and her skin was light brown. Her cheekbones were high and she had a slender medium-height body. Her skirts were most colourful but worn, the hems dirty.

Her family lived in a camp not far from this mountain village in Moldavia. It was one of their favourite areas to find work, sell their crafts and hunt for meat and wolf fur during the summer months. This area was safer than the more populated towns like Chisinau or Balti, which were full of people that often felt threatened by her kind, claiming them to be nothing more than thieves and strange worshipers of witchcraft like magic. They did not follow any type of religion except for their own which was not a belief brought upon them by the organized church.

She clutched a weaved-type basket full of herbs she had been collecting for the good doctor while working in his garden. He paid her very little but it was easy work and it put bread on the table for her family. It was better than slavery, which was common for her people. Luckily, the two men speaking on the front porch of the doctor's office could not see her since she was behind the fence gate leading to the garden in the backyard, but she could hear every loudly whispered word shared between the men. It was, as if, their voices crawled along the wall like an invisible live thread towards her. She could hear them even over the occasional clip-clop of a passing horse carriage on the muddy street in front of the house.

Nearby, from an open window at the back of the house came another sound, the distinct wail of a baby. To Jaelle it sounded like a mewling cat. There was no doubt in her heart that it was the infant of which was being discussed by the two men on the porch. Without thinking, the girl dropped her basket, sprigs of lovage and thyme spilling from it as she ran over to the window to take a look. She looked both ways before peeking inside the house to see a pudgy little baby swathed in a knitted white blanket in a bassinette… it appeared awake and very pink from crying. Its wails ceased when she appeared at the window as if the child knew, someone was there. A tiny hand reached out to her.

Several moments later the apothecary came into the room to tend to the crying infant only to find the bassinette empty. The child was gone and so was the gypsy girl tending his garden…

* * *

**Northern Greece - 1837**

Many years later, a fair-skinned boy frolicked with many other boys in a field full of tall green grass with sticks, pretending to sword fight. The sun was bright in the big blue sky and the air warm, their caravan arrived here a few days ago and it was nice to get out and run around because being stuck in a carriage for a week was very boring for a child.

The boy's reflexes were precise and much swifter than all the other boys, who would retaliate to this aptitude with name-calling and teasing. The skillful boy with light brown hair and hazel-coloured eyes had strength that even the adult men in the group recognized to be astounding for an eight-year-old lad.

"Sergiu, don't play so rough! It's just a game." His mother hollered at him in Romani, the language of the Roma—gypsies—as she sat with a group of women making supper by a fire.

Another woman looked up from a giant root vegetable she was peeling and said, "That boy has fire in his spirit, Jaelle. A burning fire that cannot be put out."

But Jaelle would hear nothing of it. Her love for the baby she rescued eight years ago in Moldavia meant everything to hear, even if she had to beg the family chieftain to let her keep it. She believed a higher power granted her the boy she gave a proper Moldavian name to, Sergiu, in respect to the country he was born.

"Don't be silly." Jaelle replied. "He's a good boy he's just different from his little brother and the other boys… they will learn to adjust. One does not have to be born Roma to be Roma; they do not have to have dark hair and dark skin."

A few of the other women in the group glanced at each other silently. One of them said, "But where does he get that strength? I saw Sergiu lifting a crate filled with grain all by himself the other day when the boys helped the men load a carriage. It was incredible, he—"

Before the woman could finish speaking a panicked cry came from the group of boys, they stood in a circle watching something happening in the middle. Jaelle looked up in shock and could see through their legs Sergiu on top of another boy biting him on the neck. She quickly set aside a pot she was scrubbing with sand and ran over to them, along with a bunch of others adults. It took four people to grab hold of Sergiu and pull him off the other kid.

Sergiu was snarling like a wild beast, his teeth covered in a blood. And for a split second, Jaelle thought Sergiu's eyes burned red-hot, but when she blinked and looked again, his eyes were their usual lovely shade of hazel. Sergiu became very quiet, still, and gave no fuss to the people holding him away from the boy he bit. He stopped snarling and acting wild.

"What happened?" A tall man with untamed dark hair, questioned. He was Jaelle's husband, Lasho.

"Sergiu bit me!" cried the other boy, holding a hand to the wound on his neck. When he pulled his hand away the wound proved to be minor the bite was not deep. "I was just playing… I didn't mean it."

"What did you say to him?" Lasho demanded, knowing perfectly well that the other boys often tried to provoke Sergiu into violence.

The skinny injured boy looked away guiltily and mumbled something inaudible.

 _"Speak up!"_ Jaelle snapped at the youth.

"I said I called him a bastard!" screeched the boy with the bite.

While the adults looked at the wounded lad with distain, Sergiu stood there silently smirking and cleaning the blood from his sharp canine teeth, teeth that were growing longer and sharper as he grew up. He marvelled at how his teeth, at times, could grow sharp as if he willed them to change shape when the urge to bite a person struck him.

Later that day, after the sun set and the crickets began to chirp loudly outside his cozy tent, Sergiu's mother tucked him into bed. She swept a hand over his wavy hair lovingly. "Why did you bite Ziroli?" she asked softly. "This biting of yours is becoming a problem. It's not right… why did you do it? What are you thinking?"

Sergiu leveled his gaze on his mother, looking at her with nothing but complete adoration. "I don't know, _mir-i daj_ ," he replied in a whisper. "I can't help it. I just feel so… so angry sometimes. I hate that they all call me a bastard. I… I am your child, right?"

Jaelle smiled almost sadly and nodded. "Of course you are… you're my special baby," she assured and dug into her skirt pocket with her right hand. "Don't let anyone tell you different."

"But I don't look anything like you and father, or my little brother. Why are my eyes so different and my skin, why is it lighter than yours? Why do I feel so angry… I feel like I'm not like the others. I get mad—it just happens and I can't stop it… that blood—"

"—you are _never_ _again_ to taste blood, Sergiu." His mother ordered. " _Never_ … do you understand? The devil inside of you will take over and you'll be swallowed up by darkness if you do. You don't want that, right?"

Scared by his mother's urgent tone all of the sudden, Sergiu nodded carefully. "No… I don't want that."

Jaelle held up a leather necklace with three _nazar_ charms dangling from the end, colourful white, blue and black stone-like pendants. "These charms are the eyes of protection… they actually resemble eyes to ward off evil eye, do you know about that?"

Sergiu heard very little about the evil eye but he had seen this protection talisman before. It was a common piece of jewelry worn amongst his people. "No," he answered as his mother placed the necklace around his neck and began to tie it.

"Evil eye has existed as long as the devil. Sometimes evil is passed from a jealous person, a person that wishes harm to you. Yet, sometimes, it is much bigger than that. Sometimes… it means a desire for conflict or a warning to another—beware of oncoming threats and danger. But, as long as you wear the eyes of protection those threats will reflect from you and no one can influence the power of the evil eye unto you. Now do you understand?" Jaelle questioned.

"Yes, _mir-i daj…_ I understand."

"Good, now go to sleep and dream sweetly," Jaelle said and leaned down to press a soft kiss to her son's forehead.

As Sergiu slept, he dreamed. He dreamed of Ziroli, the boy he had bitten earlier that day. And in his dream he discovered that Ziroli was terrified of water because he had almost drowned bathing a few years ago. Sergiu told Ziroli, in his dream, not to be afraid of the water and that they should go play by the river and catch crayfish. Ziroli seemed horrified by the idea but Sergiu called him a fraidy-cat.

The next morning Ziroli was found on the banks of the river floating upside down, dead. He had mysteriously wandered to the river by himself and drowned.

* * *

**France - 1848**

Even as the years flew by and Sergiu travelled all over Europe with his Roma family the taunts and prejudice towards him never ended. The death of Ziroli clung to him like a dark veil. He became a nineteen-year-old man without any hope of finding a mate that would accept his un-gypsy looks and who didn't cower away from him as if he had a disease. Even when one willing couple from another colony announced the possible arrangement between their daughter and him, the young woman threatened to kill herself lest she be married to a 'freak of nature' like Sergiu.

By now, the revolution of 1848 began. Some called it the Spring of Nations.

The people all over Europe were fed up with the leaderships controlling their countries—they wanted freedom of the press. They were tired of spoiled aristocrats taking, taking, and not using their influence to change the rights of classes lower than their own. The outcome reformed many European governments and gained national state independence for a few countries, however, the price of the rebellion cost many, _many_ lives.

It cost Sergiu the life of his entire Roma family.

Spurred into violence, a particular rowdy group decided to attack their camp, claiming the Roma people to be parasites and that they deserved death. The group attacked them while Sergiu was secretly frolicking with another man his age in the loft of a nearby barn. The two young men stopped their actions at once and watched from a crack in the planks of the barn wall, this group as they set fire to the tents and carriages, galloping around on horses like barbarians, yelling and screaming profanity and racial slurs. They stole their provisions, their horses and raped the women before beheading them with wide blades.

These evil humans called them trash and thieves, while they in turn stole their livelihood.

Sergiu ran from the barn and fought back with a pitchfork, taking out a few of the attackers by gouging them through the guts, the legs or even their faces with the prongs of the garden fork. As it always did, and he never understood why, the scent of their blood overwhelmed him in a tempting way. It hit him like a wave, but instead of giving into the urge to drink it, promising his mother never to consume blood again, he let it empower him instead. With eyes blazing like two hot coals, he fought with all his might even as the members of his colony perished one by one; unable to fight off the entire horde of people that outnumbered him, armed with rifles and swords… weapons they themselves did not possess. The scene the attackers left behind was horrific… all around him his whole life burned or laid lifeless on the ground in a bloody, tangled mess.

His mother was hanging on to life by a wisp when he found her. He sobbed into her hair as he clutched her to him, knelt on the hard dirt, small rocks stabbing into his knees. Jaelle was bleeding out from a gunshot beneath her ribcage. The bullet appeared to have hit her in the liver and the blood seeping out of the wound was almost black like ink. It was slick and warm on Sergiu's fingers, but right now, he wasn't paying attention to the scent of blood.

 _"Daj!"_ Sergiu pleaded desperately. "No… _mir-i daj,_ please hang on. I'll get you some help."

However, Jaelle knew her time was near and weakly reached over with her left hand to grip onto her son's arm. "Listen to me carefully, my beautiful Sergiu… I _must_ tell you something. I _must_ tell you the truth."

Confused and unwilling to listen Sergiu shook his head stubbornly. "No mother. Don't try and speak—let me go get help."

"No!" urged Jaelle and she cringed in pain. "Listen to me. I hoped that I would never have to tell you this but… your last name is Medrea. You were born in a small town in Moldavia. A doctor rescued you from your mother's womb after your family was attacked by something they claimed was evil and killed them nineteen years ago… you had a sister named Lilith."

Sergiu felt his whole world crashing down around him. "W-what are you saying?"

"I found you at the clinic as an infant… the doctor was going to end your life out of mercy and I… I could not let that happen. You were a precious child and when I peeked into that window to look at you, you looked back at me and your heart spoke. I heard it. I still hear it."

The young man blinked the stinging smoke from his eyes. He was speechless.

"I'm going to die, Sergiu… but I can't go until I have told you this. It's only fair that you know the truth. All I wanted was for you to have a family… you've brought me nothing but happiness," she struggled to say.

Sergiu watched his mother's eyes close and begged. " _No._ Don't do that… don't leave me alone, mother. Without you I'll be cast out of the tribe, no one will want me."

Jaelle died in his arms.

"…no one will want me."

* * *

**Venice – 1870**

Twenty-two years later, Sergiu was still an outcast and forty-one years old. His wavy long hair was beginning to turn grey at his temples, wrinkles appeared on his skin and his body hurt in places it did not before. It was as if in all these years, he learned nothing, nor had he grown up. He lived like a travelling worker, never staying in one place too long and never too short, at least not enough to go unnoticed. Everywhere he went he caused trouble, whether it was with unsavoury lowlife's or people he didn't brush the right way.

It was always one or the other.

He tried to start out decent when he first went out on his own but few people would give him a real job, and even if they did, those jobs never lasted long. The rage and loneliness brewing in his heart made dealing with him difficult, resulting in Sergiu being fired. One time he even killed his boss, a man that managed a coalmine where he worked as a trapper, choking him to death with his bare hands until his neck snapped and had to flee the area for good.

The only work he got was working for criminals who loved how versatile he was. He would make deliveries for them, pickups, robberies; he would even beat up people or competitively fight for money. He stayed in Venice the longest and became a man for hire, even as a male prostitute if the money was right. In hindsight, he lived like a vagrant after all the other Roma families exiled him indefinitely. They didn't want anything to do with him after the death of Jaelle and Lasho and the colony killed in Paris. Another chieftain told him simply, _"You're a jinx and a bad omen follows you around. We have decided you must leave us and go about your own way. It's for the best."_

Why did everyone know what was best for him?

Over the years, Sergiu learned to speak a few languages but all of them with a Roma accent that always set people on guard, especially the people that hired him to do their dirty work or to suck their cocks. Sergiu worked very hard to rid himself of his gypsy heritage and tongue, but a part of him would never forget his adoptive mother, Jaelle… the only person that ever truly loved him.

However, everything changed one night. It was the night he broke the promise he made to his mother.

"I'm not sure why you fret about that streak of grey in your hair, Sergiu… I think it makes you look dashing." An older man told him one night, as they lay naked and swathed in rich black satin sheets on top of the man's gigantic four-poster bed inside his enormous three-level townhome. "But enough of this lounging around, my wife will be home soon and you need to make yourself scarce."

Sergiu chuckled softly and gazed over at his handsome paying customer, a wealthy Italian official for the influential leaders of Venice. The man was an asshole and a snob, but he paid well. "Don't worry, Bonavento, I won't let your missus catch us screwing unlawfully. But how do you know she would not find it to be sexy and join us one day? Wouldn't that be a thrill… she's a splendid woman. I'd love to fuck her."

At this, Bonavento's dark eyes widened and he scowled in repugnance. "You tart! Dare not speak that way—she is the mother of my children. This… this little side dish of ours would ruin me and _my wife_ … she would chop off my balls! Oh no, you don't understand, it does not work that way, Sergiu. She'd never sleep with a piece of trash like you."

Sergiu rolled on top of Bonavento and straddled the tall, muscular man, pinning him against the bed with his unexplainable strength and slimmer body. "Now you've made me upset, Bonavento… haven't you heard on the street it's not wise to anger me? It'll put you in the ground. What do you know about trash growing up among all this wealth?" He leaned down to run his tongue up along the column of the older man's throat, moist from their prior lovemaking. His tongue brushed over Bonavento's ear where he bit down on the lobe until the other man cried out. Then he whispered, "What if I blackmailed you into giving me a hefty sum to keep quiet about you and your _queer_ dalliances. Would you pay?"

" _Vaffanculo!_ You bastard." The man began to struggle and try to shove Sergiu off but he could not make him budge and a nervous look crossed his pointed features. "What is this? How can you be so strong… it's like you're not human."

Sergiu scoffed bitterly. "Human beings really are the scum of the earth—greedy, shifty parasites' sucking up all that is good in the world. They blindly kill those that you love out of prejudice. They steal. They are like monsters. _They_ are the monsters—not those made up creatures that everyone goes on about… they _are_ the monsters!"

"You're insane!"

"You know, a part of me never felt very human at all…" Sergiu began to murmur, lost in his own thoughts as he sniffed loudly at the scent of Bonavento's blood moving beneath the skin of his tanned neck. "Did you know I can smell the blood flowing inside of you… perhaps I'm not human. It calls to me begging me to taste it. I wonder what you taste like. I can't help but wonder… all the time I think about it. I think of the promise I made to my mother and I think about what killed my real parents."

Bonavento heard the front door close from downstairs and urged frantically. "My wife, she is home. Please, Sergiu stop this and leave. Get out!" he hissed.

"I don't think so," Sergiu decided with eerie serenity and did not resist the ache building in his canine teeth, which became long and sharp. Each time he yearned to drink blood, they grew like this and deep down he knew a different animal lived inside of him. Whatever that animal was, it wasn't human. Today he was going to let that other animal be free. He chomped down on Bonavento's neck and let the gush of warm blood fill his mouth.

It tasted as good as he could remember from his youth. Briefly stricken, he thought of Jaelle, his Roma mother. He had broken his promise to her but there was no going back.

The blood he drank consumed his mind, body and soul. Sergiu felt a surge of strength like no other growing inside of him. When he closed his eyes and swallowed mouthful after mouthful of blood, a series of images filled his mind as if he were seeing things behind his eyelids. He realised these were Bonavento's memories, his fears, his desires and his dreams. All of Sergiu's senses heightened with elevated proficiency, his hearing, his sense of smell, his sixth sense and another sense he could not quite understand yet. But it felt as if he controlled Bonavento's mind in a way. With sharper senses, he could hear Bonavento's wife was coming up the stairs. He could hear her footfalls. He could hear her breathing.

The darkness that enveloped Sergiu was a welcoming feeling.

When he let go of Bonavento's neck the man was dead, Sergiu could no longer hear his heart beating. A woman stood in the doorway, a finely dressed lady in a gown of silk and lace. Her dark curled hair spilled out beneath a big fancy hat and her small, gloved hands flew up to cover her mouth in shock over what she saw. A naked Sergiu with a drippy bloody mouth straddled over her husband's naked body on the bed. She barely produced a sound before Sergiu descended on her and drank her blood as well.

Indeed, Sergiu broke his promise. He broke it over and over again for the next ten years.

* * *

**Paris – 1881**

Sergiu was wrong. His gypsy mother would not be the only person that loved him because Gage Crawford truly loved him. He would love him in a way that no other person ever could.

However, it was not exactly love at first sight…

Leader of a small band of hybrids, people that were half vampire and half human, Sergiu frequented the classy French café theatres with them nearly every night. They came to find flavoursome humans to feed from when they desired blood, which was not as often as true full-fledged vampires, but feeding was important because it kept them strong and young. They often shared a victim so as not to raise suspicion with the disappearance of many. Sergiu discovered that he was a dhampire, a human born with vampire traits because a true vampire filled his mother with blood that passed unto him while he grew inside her womb. A more knowledgeable true vampire took pity on him one day and told him about this wild act of nature after an angry group of humans came after him with garlic, crosses and wooden stakes accusing him of being a nosferatu.

They ran him out of Venice.

Even though he was not a true vampire and could still live, eat and wander the streets under the sun like any other human, Sergiu had no choice but to flee. His presence there was not a secret, people recognised him everywhere he went. He realised this new curse was just another stigma, which drove people from of his life or caused them to mistrust him, something that set him apart from everybody else. Even though he had this new strength and feared nothing… he still felt very much alone.

He had no one.

He had come to accept this and his situation, even though all that Sergiu desired now was to seek and destroy the vampire that made him this way. In fact, he wished he could wipe the earth of all vampire vermin so they could never create another pitiful hybrid like him. After learning the hard way that he could not rampage every place he went drinking the blood of humans, he had to act a little smarter, lest he be shunned from the world. Along the way he made a few acquaintances with other hybrids, lowlifes like him that didn't function well with the rest of society. They, too, lived like outcasts. Banding together, they did what they could to survive and to earn a few dollars by lying, cheating or stealing.

It wasn't that a hybrid could not live decently like a customary human, it was just that no one had ever taught him how and Sergiu had yet to meet a decent law-abiding half-breed. They had to exist but he imagined they were smart enough not involve themselves with characters such as himself. His Roma family lived by an entirely different set of rules—although not lacking in manners, it was just… their way of life was not the same. Sergiu did not have anyone to guide him or educate him.

Not until he met the distinguished Gage Crawford, that is.

On this late spring night with the moon full and stars bright, Sergiu had his sights on a target, a tall, slender British man with nearly blonde hair, clean-shaven except for the long trimmed sideburns and wearing a black top hat. A look that was exceedingly fashionable during the Victorian period. His features were young and the man could not be more than twenty, but he had a regal stature that made him appear more established. He wore a charcoal-coloured tuxedo with tails, high waist and an embroidered waistcoat with a gold pocket watch with a chain attached. The frilled high-collared white shirt that came up under his chin had a small brooch pinned at his throat depicting the image of an eye. He was laughing and drinking with friends standing a few feet away and Sergiu could overhear them speaking business about freight ships and construction of hotels across Europe.

Money men. They were the movers and shakers of industry and sophistication.

"Hmm, I think you have your sights set too high tonight Sergiu… those guys you're spying on are a dangerous type of beast." A friend said close to his ear. "They could even be a threat for people like us."

Sergiu scoffed and spoke in French with the Paris born crossbreed giving him the warning. "What do you mean by that, Richard? Their just a bunch of snobby Brits… loaded, snobby Brits."

"They are gangsters, rich families full of shady stories," Richard revealed. "Those guys own banks and hotels, theatres and restaurants all across Europe. They oversee neighbourhoods and townships with gang members that cater to their dirty work. They use their family fortunes to operate brothels and gambling houses out of these places… I bet even this café has a secret as such. Their rackets bring in more money than you or I can ever dream of… these guys live the high life, they live like kings and they are not to be taken lightly. The one you're staring at... they call him Evil Eye Gage, do you know why?"

Sergiu felt a ripple of excitement pass over him. He recalled the tale of the evil eye that his mother told him as a boy and he subconsciously fingered the leather necklace he still wore with three protective eye charms. "No…" He answered breathlessly. "Tell me."

"I heard it's because anyone who looks him in the eye is bewitched and he'll control you, even if it's to lead you to your own death. I hear he's an extremely violent man, likes to torture people that piss him off and such, but you wouldn't know that from the looks of him, eh?"

A strange smile spread across Sergiu's face. "I guess you can't read a book by its cover alone."

There came an incredulous laugh from his friend. " _Mais qui._ That would be foolish. You're still developing your unique supernatural powers… it would be wise to stay away from him. We don't need that kind of heat."

That did not deter Sergiu in the least. "Well, I'm going to go steal his pocket watch," he said cockily. "Wait here and observe." He walked off before Richard could stop him.

Sergiu used a timeless ploy, pretending to bump into Gage, quickly catching his intoxicating scent while grabbing the watch with swift vampiric stealth. He excused himself profusely for being so clumsy and walked away from the group of made men. It all happened so fast that nobody saw a thing.

However, Gage Crawford blinked and turned to watch a young man with tousled light brown hair dressed in an all-black suit and coat, canter off towards the men's room. He patted his waistcoat gingerly and smirked knowingly. "Excuse me, my dear fellows, but I must take leave of you for a moment. Keep the conversation warm until I return," he instructed and walked off in the same direction as the man in black.

Sergiu was unlatching a window in the men's room, hoping to escape without being noticed, when the suave Englishman, much to his shock, entered the bathroom. Without taking his eyes off Sergiu, the man reached out a hand and locked the door behind him with a firm click.

"Going somewhere?" The man asked in a pompous tone, his voice deep. "It would seem that using the front door would be much easier than crawling out that window."

For a moment, Sergiu felt a chill of fear creep over his skin, something he rarely felt but waved it off reminding himself that he had supernatural hybrid strength. It wasn't as strong as a true vampire but it was a lot stronger than regular human strength. It was ridiculous to fear trivial humans and Richard's warning meant nothing to people like him. He lived for danger. Still, this man had real balls to follow him in here like this and he gave off strong vibe. Sergiu turned to face the devilishly handsome man with piercing blue eyes, and, for the first time in his life, felt completely… tongue-tied.

"I-I guess… I guess so," Sergiu lamely stuttered. "But I wasn't going to climb out this here window. I-I just wanted some air."

At this Gage laughed as if he saw right through Sergiu's pathetic falsehood. "It _is_ rather stuffy in the salon. I would argue that the men's room is not my refuge of choice but with the window open, perhaps it is tolerable. I hope you don't mind sharing the facilities with me."

Sergiu held his chin up stubbornly. "Of course not," he answered, the pocket watch he stole burning against his side as it nestled inside his own waistcoat pocket.

"Do you know who I am?" questioned the other man as he approached Sergiu slowly, his fancy shoes creaking over the worn hardwood floor. "There's no reason to look so nervous… I won't bite."

"Heh… bite—I should hope not," Sergiu mused and he studied Gage carefully with mild alarm. "Not unless you're…"

"Unless I am, what…?" Gage pried curiously.

Sergiu quickly backtracked, "It's nothing."

Gage narrowed his eyes. "So, you don't know who I am?"

"I heard rumours." Sergiu licked his dry lips, his fingers playing with his eye charms out of nervous habit. It led Gage's eyes straight to his necklace.

"Oh, those are the eyes of protection. Looks sort of like something you would get from a gypsy… I do love all that lore and superstitions; there is some truth to it after all. Very entertaining," the man said. "Speaking of gypsies… you have an interesting accent but you speak English quite well."

Glancing at the evil eye brooch on the other man's neck, Sergiu demanded. "Clearly you did not come in here to use the facilities, so what do you want from me?"

"You mean to say you haven't figured it out?" countered the Englishman. "Forgive me, but I couldn't help but notice how strikingly fetching, you are. I find you incredibly attractive. Where do you come from? I'm usually very good with this but I cannot, for the life of me, figure out your origins. It's baffling!"

Surely, this man was playing games with him. "I was born in Moldavia but I haven't lived there in years. I-I travel a lot." Sergiu answered meagrely.

"You're one of those Romanians?"

"Moldavian!" Sergiu spat indignantly. " _Not Romanian_ …there is a difference. We speak the same language but we are not the same." He sounded so defensive. "Look, I come from all over. Got it? What's with all the questions?"

Again, Gage chuckled at Sergiu's fiery display. "You were raised by gypsies weren't you?"

It was impossible to hide his disbelief. "How… how do you know?"

"It's the accent and that free spirit of yours… it's intriguing. I've never met anyone quite like yourself. What's your name?"

"Your Death… _that's_ my name. That's what it will be if you don't leave me alone, mister," Sergiu proclaimed.

The blonde man raised his brows, clearly astonished by such a bold reply and laughed raucously. As quick as he was to burst out laughing, he stopped and backed Sergiu up against the tiled wall, slamming a gloved hand right next to his head loudly. Gage leaned in close enough for Sergiu to smell the cigar smoke and the rich bourbon he had been drinking on his breath.

 _"Your name…?"_ Gage's voice was nothing short of intimidating.

Sergiu frowned and taunted, "Or you'll do what?" He thought about shoving the man off him he thought about crushing his skull, but as he stared into Gage's alluring blue eyes, another part of him never felt more excited. He was aroused. Maybe Richard was right, maybe this man's eyes did place him under a spell after all.

"I could take you right here, right now, like a tramp. I bet you're a real tramp and you like to get it on in dirty places like this. On the other hand, I could gut you like a fish and let you bleed out all over the floor followed by your entrails. You have two seconds to choose your punishment for stealing my pocket watch. What shall it be?"

"Killing me is a little harder than you think," Sergiu retort. "Perhaps it is _me_ that guts _you_ like a fish after I drink some of your blood, just enough to get you under _my_ control. Time will mean nothing to you. I'll unleash a torrent of your worst nightmares upon you until you beg for death, that is… if those nightmares don't kill you first. I don't care who you are or how much money you have. _You. Don't. Scare. Me._ "

"Are you a vampire?" Gage asked, eyes shining with interest now.

"Close. I'm a half-vampire half human."

Gage did not expect something like that and for a moment felt a flash of concern, but it was fleeting. He, too, lived for danger and not many had the nerve to speak to him this way. He knew before him stood a monster, a monster with unique power. And it turned him on. He studied Sergiu's pale visage with his handsome nose and moist parted lips, dark expressive brows and hazel eyes that were now red in colour. He gasped, "What is this? Your eyes!"

Gage then noticed the fangs.

The sneaky smile on Sergiu's face vanished when Gage pinned him even harder against the wall and crushed his lips to his, despite the fangs. Completely taken by surprise, Sergiu understood what if felt like to be the victim, helpless and weak. How glorious. How humbling. This man saw what he was and it only aroused him, it drew them together. Briefly, Sergiu froze thinking at first that the man was attacking him. He struggled until he quickly realized Gage was not going to harm him, he was kissing him! It was just a kiss and it was delicious.

Sergiu couldn't help himself. He kissed him back, they heatedly made out in the men's room.

"There's something special about you, Nameless Tramp… something very exceptional," Gage murmured in awe, interrupting the kiss. "I have a feeling together you and I could rule an empire. Come with me. I want you to build me an army of creatures like you, trustworthy and loyal. I will teach you how to be a leader and, of course, a proper gentleman. I will introduce you to a world that you did not know existed. What do you say… will you join the Crawford gang? Will you join me?"

"You're not angry about the pocket watch?"

"Ha! Is that all you have to say?" Gage Crawford simpered and ran his hand over the swell of the pocket containing his stolen watch inside of Sergiu's waistcoat. "Keep the watch. Keep it close to you… _always_."

* * *

**Kent County, England – 1943**

For six decades, Sergiu and Gage created a legacy of greatness, violent criminal greatness. They did it with flare and prowess, entertaining some of the country's richest and most powerful people, military generals, earls connected to royalty, and others belonging to wealthy families of industry like the Crawford family.

Sergiu gave up his petty drifter existence for a life in high society England, never leaving Gage's side, experiencing everything from the historical changing of monarchs from Queen Victoria to Queen Elizabeth to the First World War. Historical milestones marked their reign over London, controlling some of the city's most cunning gangs that were swallowing the area up in its growing squalor and eluding the police at every turn.

They were unstoppable until Gage reached the age of 83 and lay sick on his deathbed.

Still appearing as young as he did when he first met Gage, Sergiu sat by his lover's bedside holding his hand. His expression was one of pure grief and anguish, thinking this day would never come. No matter how old Gage got he was always that vibrant, clever man with an adventurous heart to him. Sergiu could see him only as that fine-looking man and not the decrepit old man he was now.

"You know I could have you turned… why won't you just agree, my love?" Sergiu once again pleaded with him. "You know I cannot do it but I know of one hybrid that can turn humans into vampires… his vampire nature is very strong, his name is Victor—he's from the United States. He's recently become my loyal servant."

But Gage would not listen to such talk. "As beautiful a creature you are, Sergiu… I am not designed to be one of your kind. I can never be vampire or hybrid, as you call it… I do not wish it. I have lived long enough. Please respect that and continue your legend with what I have left for you. I give you _everything_ , my love; the family estate has been handed to you, Jamie Gillingham."

"Ugh! I hate that name." Sergiu twisted his lips in a pout.

Gage gave a raspy chuckle. "It's just a ruse so I can lawfully make you the possessor of my fortunes and property without drawing too much attention. I have sold the companies for ridiculous amounts of money, all of which I am giving you. I have no brothers or sisters, no family hanging on my coat tails… just you. Use the money to keep our small town strong, continue to give your kind a place to call home… keep them close and let them, protect you. Set out to accomplish what your heart desires."

"I'm going to build an army of hybrids. I am going to correct the wrong in the world and finally destroy every last vampire on earth." Sergiu confessed. "I have nothing but time… I'll keep the Crawford Gang name alive."

The old gangster smiled. "Sounds dangerous… I'm sad to miss out. One day perhaps we will see each other again, in a different life."

At this Sergiu felt tears sting his eyes, one slipped down his cheek and dripped off his chin. "Don't speak that way… everything will be fine. Don't leave me yet. I'm not ready."

"Oh Sergiu, you've brought me nothing but happiness…"

"Don't say that!" Sergiu cried furiously. Gage spoke the same words his mother said the moment she died and now…

Gage was dead, too.

* * *

**Kent County, England – August 20th, 2030, 11:15 p.m.**

Sergiu was standing in front of the old marble fireplace holding a pewter-framed photo of his long-lost lover with tears streaming down his face. "You old codger… I wish you were still here. I think about you every day, no one has ever been able to replace you. You would be so proud of my accomplishments. How I wish you were here to meet the special woman coming to visit us this evening. She's going to bring me _great_ pleasure…oh, I know, together, we would have had so much fun with her. She's an incredible woman and I am going I play with her a bit, kind of like the way a cat tortures a mouse. Just the way you taught me. Wouldn't you agree, Gage? Sounds like fun, right?"

Somewhere in Sergiu's mind, he could hear Gage's voice agreeing with him. He thought of all the wild murders they conducted together, how it was always so brilliant. Their victims loved to scream. The hybrid smiled hugely and nodded. "She'd enjoy that you think, before she dies? I must agree no one should die a virgin. That stupid old bat making a woman like that wait, I'd have turned her by now and made her mine. Well, it's his loss. That's what you get for being an ancient prick, Alucard. Now your woman _will_ be mine."

The doorbell rang, which sounded like chimes twinkling throughout the entire mansion. Sergiu heard a servant hustle to answer the door. He, too, set down the photograph of Gage and hurried into the foyer to meet the new arrivals. He got there just in time to see Integra Hellsing enter his home, along with his dear sister Lilith and Alex, his loyal second in command.

Sergiu Medrea smiled and spread his hands out. "Welcome to Crawford Park, Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing. It is an honour to have you grace my home with your presence. Won't you come in and make yourself comfortable? We have plenty of time to spare before I end your life. In fact, I would like you to think of yourself as my guest for a time. I have waited nearly one hundred years to declare my war against the vampires and a little longer will not change much."

He sniffed incredulously. "It's a shame that we could not invite your precious vampires to join us but they are where they belong, locked away in a basement. Integra, you have _no idea_ how hard I worked to get them there. I know Seras and Alucard would be the most difficult to terminate and getting rid of them was the only way to get to you, besides… when other vampires learn of their deaths, they'll know they're next to lay their head on the chopping block. And _your death_ will alert the world that… I'm coming for them."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will update again very soon!
> 
> At first writing this chapter intimidated me but I forged ahead anyways, knowing that it had to be done, and I found myself really enjoying the creation of Sergiu's world. The best part was travelling through the times and the different places. What do you think?
> 
> Back to Integra, Alucard and Seras next chapter! Stay tuned!
> 
> Oh! And I finally created a blog that is my top-secret lair cause, you know, it's not for family and co-workers etc XD! They wouldn't get my fan'stuff...err...obsessions. You can find me as -- 99ayamekage -- on tumblr! Thanks to Tigress for the inspiration! If you're already on there stop on by, I'll put the tea on! hehe
> 
> Next Chapter 20 - A Gentlemen's Preference - Alastair gets arrested and Integra finally meets Sergiu face to face, while a worried Alucard reminisces about sweeter times with his darling master.
> 
> Readers: Your words mean the world to me! I cannot thank you enough! Till next time awesome lovely people!


	20. A Gentleman's Preference

**London – August 20th, 11: 02 p.m.**

Alastair Kershaw was playing cards with friends who were also members of Parliament in the backroom of a fancy gentlemen's club. At the same time, he was trying to get a hold of his girlfriend on his mobile. However, Lilith was not answering any of his pressing text messages.

"Are you going to stare at that thing all evening, Alastair, or you gonna play yer fucking hand already?" A brawny bald-headed man with a trimmed goatee in a cream designer suit questioned him. The man laughed and so did everyone else at the table holding cards in their hands. They were looking over at Alastair through a haze of cigar smoke that swirled under the light above the table.

He chuckled with them, playing along, trying not to look anxious. "Give a guy a break, huh? You know what it's like."

"Even if she's screwing someone else, breaking your heart, you still need to decide to play or fookin' fold, my friend."

The men around the table chuckled again, being jerks.

Alastair sighed. "I highly doubt that."

"No?" countered the same young man with penchant for causing trouble. "What makes you so sure?"

"Never mind Lenny, just play your bloody hand mate. You're holding up the game." The bald man reminded. Everyone was losing patience, girl trouble or no girl trouble. They were playing a game of cards and there was money at stake. "Now is not the time to worry about your woman. Here. Have another drink."

A waiter in black and white rushed over to the table to pour him another glass of scotch.

Reluctantly, Alastair pocketed his phone and nodded thanks at the waiter for the drink. He picked up his cards and looked at them. He only had a pathetic pair of three's along with an ace of hearts, one queen of clubs and a five of diamonds. Nothing but a lousy pair. Tonight he was not in the mood for bull-shiting his way around a crappy hand.

"I fold," he said and the men around the table all cursed and glared at him.

"All that pissing around just for him to fold? Fuck sakes!" Someone complained. "What's wrong with you tonight?"

Alastair shrugged. He was used to this rowdy group of men with whom he played cards with occasionally. They always took the game so seriously but that wasn't what bothered him. What bothered him was that tonight was the night Integra Hellsing would be _taken care of_ and Lilith was not returning his messages. He got up from the table, picked up his dark suit jacket from the back of his chair and slipped it on. "I'm out," he said and then collected what remained of his chips. "My head is not in the game. Sorry."

The men waved their hands at him impatiently, glad to see him taking his domestic problems elsewhere.

With a pocket full of chips, Alastair picked up his glass of scotch with intent to down it all in one gulp when suddenly a group of armed Royal Military Police stormed into the backroom like a bad TV show. With a few exclamations of surprise from patrons at the table and surrounding staff, the group of heavily armed men surrounded them and held their rifles pointed at Alastair.

"Alastair Kershaw, you are under arrest by order of His Majesty and Lieutenant General Robert Walsh for acts of treason, aiding and abetting a foreign individual onto British soil with intent to harm members serving the crown and conspiracy to commit murder. Put your hands up and lace your fingers behind your head."

Stunned, Alastair simply stared at them for a moment.

"Get your hands on your head! _Now!_ " hollered an officer.

Another officer grabbed the glass of scotch from his fingers and Alastair placed his now free hands behind his head shakily. "What is this? What is going on? Robert ordered this?"

"Turn around!"

Getting no answers, Alastair slowly turned to face the men he had been playing cards with a mere moment ago. They were all watching him silently, still sitting in their seats stunned. No one dared to speak. No one was foolish enough to.

An officer pushed him down on the shoulder. "Get on your knees!"

Helplessly, Alastair went to his knees and remained quiet as someone grabbed his hands roughly and slapped a pair of cuffs onto his wrists. Once the cuffs were secure, Alastair was yanked back up to stand on his feet again. "Let's go."

The Convention of Twelve member was led out of the nightclub followed by a group of armed soldiers.

* * *

**Kent County – 11: 12 p.m.**

Integra was surprised to discover that they drove her out to the countryside, southwest of London. It was about a twenty, twenty-five minute drive she estimated. Give or take. They took some dark lonely road and periodically to her left she saw boat lights glittering off in the distance. It had to be the River Thames.

Therefore not that far from London, perhaps they were out near Greenhithe somewhere. She could only speculate.

It was hard to tell when they drove up an unlit road passing numerous homes with lights on inside, to know exactly where she was. Eventually, the road led to a mansion rivalling the size of Hellsing Manor. She couldn't tell if the surrounding yard was well maintained in the dark, but the area seemed large and there were plenty of trees to conceal it, including the big house that stood out like a proud monument once they came into view of it and parked out front.

The stately home was at least three stories tall with plenty of pointed rooftops and chimneys, its façade was made of red brick with white-trimmed windows decorated with thick ivory columns. There was a clock tower on the left and a loggia on the right, an outdoor sitting area supported by arches and columns. There was a lot of ivy climbing up the right side of the house. It looked aged, darkened by time and the elements, and no doubt has been here for generations.

The inside of the house was massive and roomy, filled with posh furniture, modern fittings and paintings, but the place still smelled of old money. She saw a winding staircase leading to the floors above and plenty of plush rugs inviting people into rooms over the dark hardwood flooring. The walls seemed freshly painted in a red and cream colour scheme and gave the house an overall, clean and cared for appearance by its current owner.

Indeed. The owner.

Integra finally got a good look at Sergiu Medrea, the half-human half-vampire hybrid who was also Lilith's brother. The mastermind that has gone to great lengths to get her here and to rid Hellsing of its vampires, shut down her organization, and prepare for his universal destruction of vampires. The creature was tall and slender with light brown hair that was tousled and streaked with blond highlights. He had a dusting of scuff on his face that was a shade darker than the hair on his head. He was dressed in a casual white button-up shirt left un-tucked and jeans with rawhide boots on his feet.

Sergiu was an unexpectedly handsome man but Integra knew she stood before a raving lunatic. Anyone that could commit the kinds of crimes he has just in the last three weeks was garbage to her. He had to be stopped.

With a quick glance between Lilith and Sergiu, Integra could see the resemblance in their sharp facial features and shape of their eyes… both of them had greenish coloured eyes, as well.

"Why me?" she finally demanded outright, standing rigidly against her will. "Why did you bring me here?"

Sergiu nodded his head at his sister and Alex. "Let her go and move about freely, stop controlling the movements and speech of our special guest," he ordered them and redirected his gaze back to Integra. "She won't be going anywhere and she's wearing the medal you gave her, perfect. Let's sit down and have a cup of tea, shall we?"

Integra felt the invisible bonds around her loosen and she inhaled a breath of relief. "I'd rather depart this life than drink tea with you," she retort sourly.

The hybrid leader sniffed and frowned. He didn't like that.

Sergiu was standing before her in a flash, breathing heavily through his nostrils all over Integra's face like some kind of wild beast, staring down his nose at her. "If that's how you want it, my dear Integra. I could kill you _now_." He then smiled thoughtfully. Like the flip of a coin, he began to purr and nose along her throat, inhaling the sweet scent of her blood. "Oh, but I have such great plans for us. I thought it would nice to get to know each other a little bit before I head off to battle the vampires. It could take a while… the campaign could take months, even years. I think a proper send off is in order. Besides, I still haven't shown you around my estate, Crawford Park. Isn't it stunning? It was built centuries ago, _way_ before I was even born and _way_ before Gage and his family came to own it. It's amazing how fast time flies, hmm?"

The proximity of the man had Integra on her guard. She had to remind herself not to agitate him too much so she could buy some time until Alucard and Seras got here. Above all else, she could not let him taste her blood lest her entire plan be realised, destroyed, before she even had a chance. Who knew the capabilities this hybrid had in likeness to true vampires, she could not be sure what he was capable. All she knew is what Lilith told her, that he had some kind of control of a person's blood.

"You're right, Mr. Medrea," she corrected, her tone agreeable. "I would very much like some tea and to hear all about how you came to own this splendid house."

Before Sergiu moved away from Integra, he drew his tongue along the column of her throat wetly. "You did ask why I you brought here, yes?" He whispered in her ear, his hot breath shifting the fine hairs on the side of her face. "Because I intend to fuck Alucard's beloved whore, deflowering her, _ruining_ her in honour to the King of Vampires that I successfully defeated along with his fledgling. Then I will drink all of your blood until the last sweet drop passes my lips and your heart stops forever. _That_ is my prize. I was going to share you with Victor but he went and got himself killed. What a shame."

Next to Integra, Lilith gasped sharply and Sergiu looked over at her. "What's the matter, sister? Does the sound of that excite you too? Do you want to join in?" He laughed and stepped away from the Hellsing woman, a wily look on his face.

"I thought you were just going to kill her and be done with it?" Lilith spoke up, her elegant brows furrowed. She appeared a little disheveled, her usual neat red hair was still up in a twist but a few stray strands were scattered across her forehead. "The army is gathered around us and we should be concerned with preparing them for their upcoming tasks. Purging the world of filthy bloodsuckers is no laughing matter, Sergiu."

Sergiu sighed. "Yes. Yes," he answered impatiently. "It's all about work with you and no fun at all. That's what happens when you are raised by stodgy nuns and those Iscariot slime balls. I have _so much_ to teach you about the real world and the pleasures it offers." He shook his head sadly. "I agreed with you that starting our campaign with Hellsing was a fabulous idea. Because there was no way— _no way—_ we could have done it if Alucard and his fledgling Seras were still walking this earth." He pointed at Integra while still addressing his sister. "This woman, she would have sicked her dogs on us before we even put our foot outside the door. _This woman,_ dear sister, is the master of The No Life King… of _Dracula_ for heaven sakes," he emphasised notably. "I _must_ know what is so special about her that even a monster like _that_ would bend at the knee before her."

"He was simply tricked by her family and their use of occult magic. It's the work of the devil… the Hellsing's have had way too much freedom with their perverse form of control over evil monsters." Lilith moralised.

"And is it any different than what those Vatican freaks did to you? You are still as youthful looking as I and you have strength unlike any mortal I know. You still haven't told me what they did to you to achieve such feats." Sergiu challenged.

Lilith looked aghast at her brother. "It was all an act of God's free will. There was no dark magic involved. Besides, I'm free of those people… I wish to work with my brother, cleansing the world of vampires like those that killed our parents! Or have you forgotten your roots? You and I were born with natural telekinetic gifts, you had it too even before you were turned into a hybrid, Sergiu. _I know it_."

"And our gifts increased exponentially once we became freaks ourselves." He offered with a twitter.

"It's no laughing matter, Sergiu," Lilith admonished. "And I'm _not_ a freak."

'No, because that's _my_ job. The freaky little hybrid shunned by the world because he was different and weird." He pretended to sound sorry for himself. "Well, that was how it was until Gage smartened me up, until I got away from those damn gypsies. Would you say I speak proper English, Integra?"

At first Integra did not know he was speaking to her. It took a moment before she replied. "Very well, yes," she answered. "You have minimal foreign accent in your speech. Did Gage Crawford teach you that?"

Sergiu appeared to warm at the name of his long departed lover. "Yes. He did. But first… let us gather in the sitting room and have that long awaited tea. Perhaps if you are still with us in the morning, Integra Hellsing, I will show you the gardens and the cemetery where Gage is buried."

Integra could not help but cut a look at Lilith and Alex. "Will they be joining us?"

Alex remained aloof keeping quiet and observant. Yet, Lilith's gaze darted off in another direction as if she could not bear to look at her.

"The more the merrier," Sergiu offered. "Unless there is something else they wish to attend to. I'm not their jail keep."

In the moment of silence Lilith's phone began buzzing, they could all hear it even on vibrate.

"Is that your boy toy, Lilith?" Sergiu wondered with a crafty grin. "It's too bad you didn't let me meet Mr. Kershaw before all of this happened. Too bad you had to play him along like that. I think he really likes you. He did after all sneak my beloved sister into the country and cooked up all those fake documents for you. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk."

Lilith didn't answer the phone or her brother, but she did remove the back cover of the mobile and take out the chip. She dropped it to the floor and crushed it beneath her sole of her shoe.

Integra was silently gritting her teeth about Alastair Kershaw. _That traitor!_

* * *

**London – August 21st, 12:00 a.m.**

Seras left to return to Hellsing Headquarters to organise the troops while the men in the underground bunker yammered endlessly. They bustled, discussing the matters at hand, but Alucard wasn't listening to them. The old vampire stood sentinel in one corner of the room, arms crossed over his jacket and charcoal suit, eyes unseen behind his glasses, face hidden in the shadow of his big red hat.

He stood unmoving. Quiet.

His mind was alive though with memories, special memories of her… his master. No matter how dead he was, no one could take away his memories.

A small girl, so fetching in her long pleated skirt and white blouse, rightly accented with a red necktie and the Almighty silver cross at her throat. Her eyes were the shade of sunny skies, big and round, young and innocent. She had the longest and softest hair the colour of shimmering gold silk. He knew her hair was that soft because once, while she slept, he had peeked on her as a giant red eye on her ceiling—a part of him just had to make sure she was safe. This little master was precious to him. She was precious in ways he had not yet considered, but knew in his heart he had to protect her. He touched her hair unlawfully as she slumbered. He had wanted to touch it the moment he met her but anytime he even dared to near her, while she was awake, she would rant angrily at him.

"Distance yourself from me this instant, _vampire_." Even for a delicate preteen, her tone was dreadfully strong and sure. Half the time Alucard wasn't sure he was talking to thirteen year old girl or a lady drill sergeant disguised as a young girl. "I am your master and you will obey my commands. Do you understand?"

He always bowed or nodded and gave her a smile, even if it was a cunning one. "Of course, my master. I am but your servant. Do what you will with me." Somehow, his lengthy replies always got a frown out of her and she cast them nastily in his direction. Alucard considered that expression a small victory and so taunting her was always a great way to attain her attention.

His recalled how his first mission was met with skepticism from his beautiful young master.

"Walter, do you really think it's necessary that he be given a gun so _big_?" Young Integra questioned the Hellsing family butler as they stood around in the office of the manor.

Strange sightings of undead humans were being spotted in a quiet neighbourhood and they were sure the cause of it was due to a nasty unscrupulous vampire. It was up to the Hellsing Organization to deal with it.

"Well, I don't see why not," the older man wearing a monocle and a snappy waistcoat, replied stiffly. "With his monstrous strength anything less than the Casull would be pointless."

"But he doesn't really require the use of man-made weapons," she added dryly.

"You know that I can hear you talking about me?" Alucard interjected, but both Walter and Integra ignored him as if he was not there.

"No. He does not," Walter agreed with Integra, "But he seems to find some kind of pleasure in well-crafted man-made weapons." It sounded like the man was bragging since _he_ was the one that designed the .454 Casull. "A type of weapon—it is something of a gentleman's preference. You must understand, Sir Integra."

"I also have a preference for blondes, but I'm no gentleman." The vampire could not resist, but it still did not invoke a reaction from his young master. He sighed.

"I really don't get it," Integra said to Walter. "As long as he gets the job done and doesn't embarrass my family name in the process, he can keep the gun." She turned to look at Alucard now. "You won't try anything strange, will you?"

"Other than destroying the monsters, what else could I do?" He reasoned and added, "It nice to see that you are finally speaking to me. I've been standing here the entire time, you know."

"Remember your place, Alucard. Think of yourself as nothing more than the family dog."

Walter appeared to be simpering over that, impressed with the young Hellsing's superiority.

Ouch. His master had such a sharp tongue sometimes, but it also gave Alucard a brilliant idea.

Later, when he returned from a successful mission, without defaming the Hellsing name and proved himself to be a great asset to the organization, he appeared before Integra in his hellhound form. She was in her room getting ready for bed, brushing her hair while sitting at the edge of her mattress. At first, she shrieked and Walter came running but she shooed the butler away, letting the dog stay. It was the first time she had seen the vampire take this shape and she really liked dogs. It didn't take long for her to warm up to the idea and after awhile Alucard was getting his mangy fur stroked by his dotting master.

It was just the beginning towards breaking the ice between them.

"I'm sorry I called you a dog," she said, in her young girlish voice. "Is this your way of telling me I was too harsh earlier?"

"Not really," he answered calmly. "Forgive me, I just thought that a family pet brought smiles to their master's faces and I simply wanted to see you smile, young master."

Her stunned silence was perfection to him, but the laughter that followed was even better.

Without family to bring her comfort, she soon sought after Walter or himself for these things. And Alucard was always willing to offer whatever kinds of comfort he could fathom. Neither he nor Walter was experts at child rearing, but he always treated Integra with the respect she earned and deserved. Years passed, and in a way, he helped raise the young Hellsing.

However, she was not to remain young forever and her transformation from child to woman was nothing short of… breathtaking.

One day a curious eighteen-year-old Integra could not resist sneaking a peek at the Hellsing family pet while he was fast asleep inside his coffin. Well, he was fast asleep at first, anyways. Alucard pretended to keep sleeping even if he slightly cracked open one eye to peer at her curiously gazing down at him. What was she thinking? He soon discovered what was on her mind even before he read it when she leaned down and pressed her warm mortal lips to his.

She had been the one to show such affections between them first and Alucard marvelled at how gusty this particular Hellsing was. All Hellsing's were bold mind you, very much so, but what set Integra apart from them was the fact that she'd grown up to be a beautiful woman. Beneath his vampirism, there was still a fragment of his masculinity, that used to thrive with strong, sexual prowess and she drew it out of him so easily.

Resisting her was simply folly.

Her kiss had him rumbling like a sleeping dragon.

"You know," he murmured against her inquisitive moist lips, "The last time someone peeked into my coffin they hit me in the head with a shovel."

Integra did not seem to be embarrassed or frightened about what she had just done and simply replied, "I'm sure you deserved it, though." Her tone was not sympathetic.

He shook with a profound chuckle. "I suppose I did," he agreed. "But why are you disturbing my rest?"

"Does it bother you that I have woken you up this way?" She sounded so incredulous. "Didn't you like that kiss?"

"While you are still very naïve and pure—and admitting to you that that kiss invokes an explosion of feelings in me is erroneous—you should know that waking me up like that could end badly for you," he warned, his deep voice sounding serious.

"Will you try and drink my blood?" she wondered, blue eyes shining. "I won't let you."

"I know you won't." He chuckled again. "No. I will not drink your blood but it might be difficult for me not to touch you in a less gentlemanly manner."

"So what…?" she retorted arrogantly. "Maybe that's what I want you to do. I'm not a child any longer."

"Really?" He came back with doubtfully in monotone. "Shouldn't you be out with some eligible, young aristocratic man, thinking about marriage and offspring? Or perhaps it's too early for that in this era and you should be thinking of parties and roller skating or necking in cars or something of that matter."

At that, Integra sniffed as if such a thing were disgusting. "That's so old school… you watch too many of those stupid movies, Alucard. If that's what I wanted then I wouldn't be here with you, now would I?"

"You haven't tried this with Walter have you?"

"You disgust me," Integra replied venomously. "Shall I remind you that Walter's kind of getting on in his years?"

"And shall I remind you, that I'm 564 years old… "

"Please, must you be such a pessimist?" The Hellsing woman said to him unimpressed. "You're not even human so it… it doesn't matter."

Women: what an extraordinarily confusing creature they are. "Don't get me wrong, Integra, my darling master. I have dreamed of many ways that I might touch and taste you, but what you are seeking from me is not the same as it is with a warm _human_ man. I'm just a shadow of that, a dark, cold shadow. You deserve more than that."

"And _you_ deserve more than that!" she snapped back at him.

He looked up at her speechless. Why did she even care?

"Look, I'm not asking for your hand in marriage for heaven's sake. This isn't about love, you are my servant and that's how it will always be until the day I die. I think you're kind of handsome and all I'm asking for is…" She began to blush despite the brave front she was putting up. "All I'm asking is…" Integra looked at him seriously, brows furrowed stricken with a new thought. "Do vampires not feel desire? Are you unable to get it—"

Alucard cut her off before she could finish that sentence by pressing a firm kiss to her lips, letting his fingers play with some of the blonde strands dangling into his coffin. Their mouths remained joined until she attempted to climb inside the coffin with him.

The king of vampires pushed her out with both hands on her shoulders abruptly and sat up.

"No, you still belong with the living and the living do not belong inside of coffins made for the dead," he chided. "Besides, this is no place for you to experience what pleasures two people can share together." He climbed out of his coffin and Integra stood nearby waiting silently for his next move.

He scooped her up into his arms and she gasped with surprise. "If it's pleasure you seek than I shall obey. I promise, my beautiful master… you won't be disappointed." Then he laughed all of the sudden and it startled her. "Fear not, I'll take the best route to your bedroom without rousing the house staff."

"You were reading my mind, vampire." She accused.

He just smiled at her. "Once I have consumed one's blood I can do that. I have mentioned that to you before."

"I know you have but you will not do that with me, at least, not too often. I don't like it." Integra warned him.

"As you wish, my master…"

The sound of someone slapping the tabletop broke Alucard out of his daydream and he unexpectedly lashed out at the annoying humans in the bunker.

_"WHY HAVEN'T YOU FOUND HER YET?!"_

Everyone in the room froze in terror.

"Alucard, sir," Mr. Penwood began to reassure. "Integra is a clever woman. Let us hope she is using some tact to stay alive until we can get to her. In the meantime, we are doing everything within our power to locate her. I promise this is as stressful for us as it is for you. I'm sure."

"Are you sure you're sure, because I'm fairly _sure_ that's a load of bullshit." Alucard began to pace around the table. "Can't you use your fancy satellites or something of that nature to locate her? Are we still in the dark ages here?"

The men in the room glanced at each other and rolled their eyes with a sigh.

Sir Hugh Irons explained. "If we knew where to start, then yes, but right now we don't even have that. Hellsing Headquarters is digitally obscured from satellite imagery for security reasons. Finding the vehicle that left the mansion is not possible. You said so yourself that you cannot sense her being anywhere when normally you could, correct?"

"Your point…?"

"Well, it stands to reason they are using some form of magical barrier to remain undetected and not just from you. For now all we can do is go through those archives and…"

Sir Irons was cut off as someone knocked on the only door leading out of the bunker. Heads turned to look around in surprise, wondering who it was. "Are we expecting someone?" asked Mr. Blackensfield.

"Ah, it's those meddling Iscariots that have been tracking their dirty boots all over the house," Alucard muttered. "Why don't you let them in and see what they have to say for themselves."

Bishop Makube and Heinkel Wolfe were given entrance into the, so-called, secret military bunker. The two priestly-dressed members of Section XIII looked around the room taking note of all the faces. "It has come to our attention that Integra Hellsing is now a prisoner of the man responsible for Winmore Crane and his heinous acts against the church."

"But how…"

"Vee might know of a place to vook first," Heinkel offered, cutting off one of the Twelve.

Alucard appeared in front of Heinkel like an angry smoldering ghost, getting right up in her face.

" _Where_ ," he demanded.

"Now, now… not so fast, nosferatu," Bishop Makube began. "You must promise us something first. We are looking for a missing comrade of ours. If you come across this paladin, you will let us deal with her. Yes?"

The No Life King backed off Heinkel and looked over at Bishop Makube's arrogant scarred face.

Alucard scoffed and sneered at him. "You mean Lilith, the new assistant Integra hired a few weeks ago?" The vampire could tell by the astounded looks on their faces that they had no idea. He couldn't help but taunt them. "You know the assistant that was right under your nose that day you stopped by the manor and shot up the place—shot Seras in the arm like the filthy scum that you are. Perhaps it is the same person that Alastair Kershaw helped into this country and hid from you people… you mean _that paladin?_ "

The Convention members all began to whisper excitedly.

"The Vatican has some serious questions to answer!" bellowed Mr. Dagwood.

Bishop Makube was gritting his teeth bitterly. "Yes. Yes. But first, we must work together to find Lilith Medrea and Integra Hellsing," he offered to Alucard and everyone. "You have given us no other choice. This paladin… she is a danger to all around her and she must be returned to us."

Alucard was not so sure he agreed with that. "So you can dismantle her like you do with all your other failed experiments?"

"Vhat's rubbish!" Wolfe spat. "She is no vailed experiment, let me tell you. She trained with Father Anderson."

It was as if carousels sprung to life and music began to play loudly inside of his head. "Are you serious?" Alucard exclaimed and clapped his hands together. "Fantastic! I can't wait. Now… you said you have a place for us to begin our search. Why are we standing here wasting precious time when my master is in trouble?"

"Let's go, then." Makube offered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Vatican comes to the rescue! Well, sort of. Crawford Park was inspired by a real stately home named Somerleyton Hall, which is a beautiful old home where people still live. Ack. Sergiu is not a nice guy, thanks to those that read his backstory. This part of the story was a real test for me to try and capture Integra in a situation where she is truly a hostage. I hope to have done her justice and this chapter is just the beginning. Things will not be pretty from here but some crazy and perhaps unbelieveable things are about to transpire. Also, I wanted to lighten the mood with a little flashback daydreaming from our worried vampire king. How lucky for Alucard that the next Hellsing to hold his leash was a beautiful one, no?
> 
> Next. Chapter 21 - Monster under the Stairs. Integra begins to learn just how crazy Sergiu is and Alucard storms one of Sergiu's London hideouts looking for information.
> 
> Reviewers: Again thanks to those that read the backstory in the last chapter. It means a lot! I did not want to skimp out on this story, not even a little bit. It wasn't easy to do that. Thanks for reading! 
> 
> It's great to see some of you on tumblr! *loves*


	21. The Monster under the Stairs

**Crawford Park – August 21st, 12:35 a.m.**

After a tour around the impressive house, Integra gazed into her empty teacup half expecting to feel woozy by now from some kind of drug she figured Sergiu would have placed into her drink, but she did not. There were no drugs, her mind was clear and her body felt fine. Sergiu seemed content to entertain and answer her questions and tell her everything about himself as if they were simply old friends. He told her how Gage had given him all his worldly possessions and how they met in Paris over a century ago.

It was obvious Sergiu adored this man but the stuff they did together was nothing short of insane.

He told her how they used to throw wild parties for wealthy individuals who came to watch spectacles that they orchestrated while donning attire as if for a masquerade, in this very house. While men and women held masks to hide their faces, sipping on liqueurs and laughing amongst each other and sometimes indulging in steamy orgies, imprisoned hybrids or humans were required to perform ghastly acts together before them.

Sometimes it was murder… a fight to the death as if they were slaves in ancient Rome watched upon inside a great coliseum. Other times it was to observe a hybrid drinking the blood of a human once they fornicated for all to see. Tortuous endeavours, vampires set on fire, dismembered and more than once, destroyed by Sergiu's special memory blood-controlled kinetic powers. It was a mysterious endeavour that always pleased the crowd.

However, he did not explain how it worked exactly but Integra surmised it had something to do with the ingestion of a person's blood.

It seemed to her that Gage took an already torn individual and turned him into an even more twisted cold-blooded killer. His greatest joy seemed to be those that involved the death of vampires. Each swallow of tea became more difficult to put down the more grisly Sergiu's tales became. Even though she was no stranger to the atrocities of life—heaven knows she has seen her share of pandemonium and bloodshed—there were those that killed with good reason and those that did not.

Quietly, Integra ran her thumb over the handle of the delicate china teacup with pink flowers and gold trim on it. Looking around, she was aware that Alex had left them a while ago, but Lilith remained. The paladin sat next to her half-breed sibling on the soft black leather couch on her right, while Integra sat in a big matching chair close by.

The other woman was unusually silent, she noticed.

Integra couldn't help but glance at Lilith more than once as the stories were told by Sergiu. There was no doubt that Lilith was having just as difficult a time drinking her tea as well. The Hellsing woman sighed, whatever warm, fuzzy family ideas Lilith thought she had of her brother were clearly nothing more than naïve fantasies.

"And why did Gage not accept your offer to become immortal?" she asked him curiously. "If he loved you so much, why did he allow himself to die?"

Sergiu sat back and fiddled with his necklace. "I often asked him that myself, and his response was that he was tired of this life. He felt tired. He said he had lived enough, experienced enough and that we would one day meet again in another life." The hybrid placed his boots up on the black rectangular coffee table and sighed. "There was no telling Gage what to do, you understand. Once he made up his mind… that was it."

The cross-breed's words reminded Integra of her conversation with Alucard about fate and how he believed if he had died as a human that their paths would have crossed again one day… that they would be together in the proper mortal kind of way. It was such a brilliant thing for him to say. The thought gave her hope that her vampire would get here soon and wipe the licentious grin off Sergiu's face.

"Are you tired of this life, Integra? Why haven't you already become The Queen of Vampires?" he wondered and chuckled, eager to hear her response. However, his face fell. "Of course, Alucard only just came back from being gone for thirty some years. Hesitation does not win the game. You know what they say about the early bird."

Ignoring his question, Integra asked another one of her own. "Did you decide to begin this charade because of his return?"

Sergiu waved a hybrid servant over and kindly asked the man to refill their cups. As the servant did so, he replied, "Not exactly. Once I reunited with my sister six months ago it didn't take us long to decide it was time to wipe the earth of bloodsuckers. Ask most hybrids and they will tell you what a curse their lives have been thanks to those demons that created us. But since I already lived in England, I knew all about you and your fancy organization and all about Alucard and Seras. You and your government aren't the only ones that have eyes and ears. As I said before, you were a good place to start and I admit… I've _always_ been really curious to meet you. Alucard's return was perfect timing! The world is still stinging from The Battle of London and faith in organizations like yours and of its government is thin, weak. Getting the world to believe Alucard was once again a terror as he was before Abraham Van Helsing captured him… well, it wasn't very difficult. I couldn't resist throwing Seras into that mix. Her being the creation of Alucard—it's a safe bet she needed to be put down as well."

Integra scoffed. "Clearly our goal to defeat monsters is the same. Why not let us fight together?"

Lilith grunted at that.

"You come from a monster-hunting family, Integra. My family consists of hybrids that I rescued from a life of rejection, fear and pain. I have given those creatures a purpose, to help me fight against vampires, and in return, I gave them a safe place to live. Beneath these floors is a sanctuary and out there in those houses are families—hybrid families—they work for me. You destroy creatures like us, how could we possibly work together? It is your oath to kill me, not join me. I don't believe you. Besides, my sister is highly against your methods, so she says, and family should stick together."

"I agree that family is most important, without it… we really have nothing," Integra concurred. "And I promised my family I would _never_ give up on them."

Lilith was watching her warily now with those piercing green eyes.

Sergiu picked up his cup to sip from it, letting his eyes roam over his guest. Integra's charcoal suit jacket and pants were tattered and torn thanks to whatever methods his sister and Alex used to get her here. He sensed a small scratch on her shoulder as well… he could smell it. It made his teeth ache to taste her pure virgin blood, but that would come soon enough. Her platinum hair appeared unkempt and there was a smudge of dirt on the side of her cheek.

The hybrid also noted the strange medallion Integra wore around her neck.

He stood up hastily and held out his left hand to Integra. "My lovely guest, I must apologise for hoarding you this way, rambling on about frivolous things when you are in such a state. How can you possibly feel at home like that?"

Integra eyed his offered hand carefully with its manicured nails and long, slender fingers. She noticed a ring on his middle finger depicting the Evil Eye. "I… I don't know what you're going on about."

"I'm speaking about your torn clothing and disheveled hair—your face is dirty. Allow me to rectify this for you. Come, I'll make you feel more comfortable." He waved his hand out for her to take again in such a friendly gesture.

Integra held her ground. "I don't think so. I'm fine like this."

With a tilt of his head, Sergiu looked at her dubiously. "Oh, come on. You can't possibly be telling me that you'd rather parade around like that?"

The hybrid was making her uneasy but she wouldn't show it. "It's just a suit and I don't care what I look like when I'm a corpse. Let's continue our conversation," Integra encouraged firmly.

"Lilith, why don't you go check on Alex but be sure you keep your eyes peeled. You know, in case Integra's powerful military friends are searching for her like the diligent little bunnies that they are, hmm? Who knows what kinds of tricks they have up their sleeve." The half-breed looked over at his sister to be sure she acknowledged him.

The ex-Iscariot got up. "Sergiu… don't do this. God will not forgive you."

"Fuck, God!" he shouted unexpectedly, which startled his sibling. "I don't give a shit about God. Don't start preaching to me again."

Lilith closed her eyes and appeared to take in a deep breath. "Be sure to keep that St. Benedict medal on her though… it acts as a barrier between her and anything supernatural. It's just a precaution."

She turned to leave the room.

Integra stood up and implored her to stay. "Lilith! How can you turn your back on this? I thought you and Father Anderson's purpose was to cleanse the earth of evil supernatural freaks. How is your brother any different than that warthog, Enrico Maxwell?"

"That's simple," she replied grimly, "Sergiu's my brother… he's family. Besides, I'm no longer an Iscariot, remember?"

Sergiu had heard enough. He grabbed Integra by her red necktie, receiving a prick by the pin on the silver crucifix he dislodged from his rough handling. He cursed as the silver cross fell to the hardwood floor with a loud thud and stuck his bleeding finger into his mouth.

Integra took the opportunity to smack him hard across the face. "How dare you touch me like that? Who do you think you are?"

The half-breed simply gaped at her for a moment before he burst out laughing, hooting and cheering. "Wow! Now that's what I'm talking about. _That_ is the fire that kindles Alucard's cold, dead heart." He mindlessly inspected his bleeding index finger, relishing in the pain. "Such a prickly woman," he mused. "No wonder that old bat came crawling back to you."

"Everything about you disgusts me," Integra sneered. "Do not presume for one moment that you understand anything about me."

The amusement left Sergiu's face and he grabbed her by the necktie again. Integra stared him down without a shred of fear, she tried to yank her way out of his hold but he did not let go no matter how hard she tried. He was much too strong. Sergiu chuckled darkly as he hauled on her to follow him causing her to stumble as she tried to keep up. She lost a shoe along the way up the stairs to the second floor. Once at the top, he dragged her down a hallway past a few closed doors.

The hybrid stopped at an opened door that led into a well-lit bathroom. He effortlessly launched Integra into the room and she flew across the white-tiled floor like a ragdoll. "Undress," he ordered and taunted. "Pretty girls don't get to wear nice things unless they clean up first."

"You're crazy!" she stormed at him.

He came at her and yanked her up by her long blonde hair. "So they say," he jeered. "Now… undress." This time he said it more peacefully.

_"No…"_

Sergiu smiled. "Fine, then I'll just have to do it for you."

Trembling with rage and adrenaline, Integra stood with her chin held high as Sergiu meticulously disrobed her. Piece by piece her clothing left her body, leaving her naked and covered with goose bumps. The only thing she wore was the talisman around her neck. She noticed how the creature's eyes went to the bloody scratch made by one of Lilith's blessed commando knives on her shoulder.

Integra had to think fast. "Perhaps you could… perhaps you could wash my hair?"

Sergiu's gaze met hers. He studied her face thoughtfully and said, "Are we finally going to be agreeable and stop fussing? If so… I would be delighted to do that for you." Instead of turning on the water, he was still studying her face inquisitively. He reached out for her eye patch, but Integra flinched away. "I just want to see what those stupid Nazi's did to you. It was them that did this, right?"

She just nodded.

"Stupid fools," he mentioned. "What a waste, I'm glad I lived out of town on that day, let me tell you." He removed her patch and revealed her partly re-grown eye. He blinked at her with confusion. "Oh, that's so strange, it's like you still have part of your eye. It's as ugly as sin… I thought there would be nothing left. Why didn't Alucard heal this for you with his vampire blood? I mean, I would do it for you but not all hybrids work the same as true vampires. I have to drink blood to heal myself… to stay strong and young."

"As if I would pollute myself with his foul blood." Her reply was callous even as she lied through her teeth.

The hybrid howled with amusement as if that were the funniest thing. He replaced the eye patch gently back over her damaged eye. "You really are something else, aren't you?" He scoffed. "Tell me. Are you able to see anything out of that eye, anything at all? Light, perhaps?"

"No, nothing," Integra answered.

Without another word, Sergiu went about filling the big bathtub with hot water, while Integra internally pleaded for Alucard to hear her calling for him. If she could say it aloud, she would be screaming his name at the top of her lungs. She knew it was because of Lilith's holy artifact around her neck that he could not hear her, or perhaps… Judy never woke them up. A swirl of panic tightened her guts. No. _No._ That was just foolish thinking. She had to have faith. She could do this. _I must endure._

Sergiu looked over at the Hellsing woman, standing there appearing aloof and detached not even covering herself up with her hands like most people would. He inspected her from head to toe, slim body, small breasts, long legs, a cute rear end and all that smooth tanned skin. For a fifty-two year old woman she was doing pretty well for herself.

The hybrid said something to her in a language she did not understand. "What did you just say to me?" she said, noting how he was watching her. It made her feel sick.

"I was speaking the language of the Roma," he shared. "I haven't felt like speaking it in a very long time but looking at you brings me back to the days when I was Jaelle's son. I said to you that, your beautiful skin colour reminds me of the Roma people."

"Jaelle…?"

"My gypsy mother… the woman to whom I broke my promise." He looked away for a moment as if in deep thought. "She made me promise not to drink blood, not ever—that the darkness would take over my heart. It's like she knew what I was before I knew it myself. But I kept my promise for forty years… perhaps she was right and the darkness ate up all that was good left inside of me." Sergiu expressed softly, contemplating that. He looked back over at Integra who was staring at him silently. "Come, get in the bath… it'll make you feel better. I promise not to hurt you. Not yet, at least."

That underlining threat was always there, lurking and waiting to pounce.

Inside she felt nauseous but Integra had to dissimulate, keep up the bluff, whatever bought her some time. Her people would come—they _had_ to. She stepped into the bath and sat down, the water felt nice but she could not truly enjoy the tranquility it offered.

She sat there stiffly, arms around her bent knees that she brought up to her chest. She glanced around the huge mansion bathroom. It was quite glamorous, with soft yellow lightening and pristine white tiles and fittings. But it was big and empty, it felt cold and void of something important. There was a stand-up shower closer to the door and a long two-sink countertop opposite from it with a silver-gilded framed mirror. It was modernised just like all the other rooms in the house.

At first, Integra was afraid Sergiu was going to attempt to get in with her but he retrieved a small stool and parked himself at the foot of the tub where her head was instead. "Relax and let the hot water do its magic," he voiced in a soothing manner, dipping a sea sponge into the water before brining it across her arm, bathing her.

A small part of her felt like her uncle Richard was bathing her—she felt like a weak little kid again. She sat there in silence for a while as he dutifully washed her, listening to the water trickle and lap around her body. Integra closed her eyes in hopes to block out this memory.

"Tell me, Ms. Hellsing… did that old bat ever do this sort of thing for you?" he inquired and twittered with impish thoughts. "I bet he couldn't foreplay his way out of a wet paper bag."

"I have no desire to share my personal relations with someone like you. But since you put it that way… that 'old bat' you are referring to has a gentler more intoxicating touch than you'll ever hope to possess," she so daringly claimed. "That's all I'm willing to share on the matter."

Sergiu simply smirked. "I'm sure once I'm finished with you, you will agree that my touch is much more sensual than his. There's no way an ancient and vile creature like that is as passionate a being as I am."

Integra nearly snorted. "That 'being' was once a ruler of a nation not a pathetic worm such as yourself, so don't you _dare_ compare yourself to the likes of him. Yes, he ruled with questionable methods, horrible ones, but strong-willed ones… he fought for what he felt was just. You will _never_ understand that kind of passion. His long years have changed him greatly, but that passion still rests in his soul. No one can ever take that away from him."

"Hrmph, you're in love with him." Sergiu sniffed indolently. "The obedient Hellsing—protector of the crown… falling in love with the monster under the stairs. What would your family say? Oooh! The scandal. Everyone loves that sort of juicy gossip."

"Tch! Look who's talking about monsters under the stairs? I've never been afraid of a little opposition, half-breed. That has never stopped me from fulfilling my duty. But what does it matter, anyways? You're going to kill me," Integra reminded dryly.

Sergiu picked up the shampoo with a chuckle. "It's almost a shame that I put down your King—you would have made a most perfect Queen. Imagine the two of you ruling the Hellsing Organization… that's a pretty impressive picture, don't you think? Why, it almost makes me shiver."

* * *

**East End, London – 1:05 a.m.**

The people loitering out on the street at this hour of the night did not know what to make of the swarm of helicopters and flashing vehicles that sped through their normally quiet neighbourhoods. They tore through the city like a red and blue wave of noise.

It seemed like all hell was breaking loose somewhere in the city.

Alucard was the first one to arrive on the scene. He beat everyone to the location that the military and police were racing to get to so quickly. And by the sounds of their sirens, they were a few minutes away still. He would have to get on with it without them.

To be perfectly honest, he preferred it that way.

The vampire stood out front of a complex nestled between a row of similar buildings along the street, a square-shaped structure consisting of four floors and many apartments. It was fairly run down on the outside, yellowish brick and old metal-framed windows. A few of the windows appeared to have blankets or sheets serving as curtains.

Without even entering, Alucard already knew Integra was not inside. He could not feel their connection at all. Nothing. It served to frustrate him further but it didn't mean he couldn't go hunting for some answers. There was no holy barrier around the building and he could smell the foul scent of non-human creatures dwelling inside.

Somebody had to know something.

He walked through the squeaky black iron gate that led to the front lobby that still required a punch code to enter the premises. Feeling a little impatient, Alucard shot the panel without a moment's hesitation with the Casull and kicked at the door, breaking the glass easily with his heavy boot.

He could have pulled the door open properly, or simply glided through it with his intangible powers, but where was the fun in that?

Besides, it served another purpose, which was rousing the tenants living in the building. The hybrids. Many hybrids. They came out of their apartments and into the hallway to inspect, annoyed that they were being disturbed until they realised _who_ was disturbing them.

"Is that…?"

"It's the Night Walker!" One of them hissed hysterically.

"What! You mean…"

"Alucard!"

"Fuck off you say, isn't he supposed to be dead? We've been lied to."

"I bet he's looking for the leader." Someone said in a whisper but Alucard certainly overheard that.

A breath later, he was holding the long silver barrel of the Casull to that particular hybrid's head, an older woman with short grey hair wearing a pink nightgown. The creatures peering at him a few feet away, from his left and right, all startled and some yelped or cowered, as they did not see him move so quickly. A couple even slammed their doors shut and hid inside their houses. It was evident to him that many of them were young and inexperienced half-breeds, not all of them understanding their powers.

"That's right. Your leader, where is he?" Alucard questioned the woman who had mentioned it first. "Tell me what you know or I will get the answers from you one way or another."

The threat was very real and the grey-haired hybrid wisely decided not to fuss. "He usually stays on the top floor. The whole top floor is his apartment when he stays in the city."

"Look mister, we mind our own business and do what we're told. We just live here… Mr. Gillingham gave us a place to live when no one else would." A male hybrid mentioned, coming to the defense of the old woman in Alucard's crosshairs.

"Stays in the city? Mr. Gillingham?"

"That's the name of the man that lives upstairs but he's not here right now," the older woman assured.

"Do you know where else he lives?" The No Life King demanded, still holding the gun to the woman's head.

"No, I don't. I have no idea where else he stays. It could be anywhere really. What I do know is that when he summons us to fight the vampires, we're supposed to go to his aid. That's the price we must pay for our freedom to live peacefully in this place." The hybrid woman shared with him.

She was telling the truth.

There was a tug on his long red coat and Alucard looked down at the source. "Are you going to kill us, mister?" A brave young hybrid boy questioned him, looking up at him as if he was looking up a tall tree.

These creatures were not evil. Yet, they were still monsters, freaks. Some of them probably feeding off humans and drinking their blood to maintain strength. Pitiful. They were a miserable excuse of an existence. They served Sergiu and his purpose but under a form of duress. Alucard grumbled at the half-breed youth who could not be more than five years old. He retracted the .454 from the woman's head and was about to ask them what Sergiu looked like, however…

Makube and Heinkel showed up along with the new anti-freak squad. They saw Alucard with his weapon drawn and assumed he was under attack.

"We've got your back, Alucard!" The squad leader shouted and without any further consultation, opened fire on the lot of hybrids standing in the dim hallway.

The creatures screamed.

Gunfire erupted and bullets ripped through the half-human, half-vampires in a bloody act of impulsiveness. The boy next to Alucard was stilling clinging to his coat with a silver bullet lodged in his head, his dead eyes staring up at him before he turned to blue ashes.

"Fools!" Alucard cursed and vanished.

He reappeared in an apartment above the mindless butchery one floor below. He stood among a mess of books and empty pizza boxes in someone's living room. A fast hybrid ran out the door and into the hallway on the second floor heading for the emergency stairwell heading up to the roof.

Alucard disappeared again and reappeared on the rooftop just outside the door leading to the roof. When the hybrid burst through the door Alucard grabbed him by the scruff and dragged him out of the two helicopter spotlights roving over the surface.

He let go of the frightened hybrid and the creature backed up and tripped over a vent, landing on his arse. He held his hands out in front of himself in defence. This one had orange eyes that glowed like an animal in the dark and he pleaded with the red-clad vampire. "Please don't kill me! It wasn't my fault I was turned into something like this."

But Alucard didn't care about that. He said briskly over the noise of the helicopters. "You must let me drink your blood—"

"—oh fuck!" whimpered the half-breed. "That's what I thought. Please, mister! I don't want to hurt anybody. I hate the taste of blood just so you know. I'm not like some of those hybrids."

"Silence!" Alucard growled. "You're wasting my time." He grabbed at the man and without haste sunk his teeth into his neck. He just needed an image of Sergiu's face and surely, one of these creatures knew what he looked like. That's all. With a few swallows of repulsive hybrid blood he got just what he wanted and dropped the snivelling, shaking crossbreed to the pebbly roof like refuse. The creature scrambled backward from him holding a hand to his neck like a wounded child.

"What the hell?" The man complained.

Alucard licked his lips clean. "Thanks, I have what I want. Go on. Get out of here if you know what's good for you." Alucard told him and turned his back on the hybrid. He doubted the creature would get far with all this military and Iscariot presence. They could take care of it. His master was not around and she did not give him any orders to kill anyone. These creatures were of no threat to him. They were not the enemy. At least not yet, since Sergiu had not given them such orders.

He went to the fourth floor, to the apartment the woman downstairs said belonged to the leader that stays here when he is in the city. There he discovered a very posh and expensive looking place with thick red curtains and white leather couches. There was a glass coffee table in the middle with a crystal tumbler on top, filled with a half-inch layer of amber coloured drink. The fancy apartment inside was concealed well by the neglected outside of this building. It was all a smokescreen, Alucard realised.

The place smelled of stale perfume, blood and sex. The No Life King grinned from ear to ear.

"Come out and face me, you coward. I know you are there. Come and face me or I will shoot you down from where I stand. Believe me, there is no drywall or wood strong enough stop _these_ twelve millimeter, exploding hollow point rounds."

He was speaking about The Professional, the newly acquired handgun that he now held out before him at his concealed target.

However, it was not a hybrid creature that stumbled out of the bedroom and down the hallway towards him. It was a human. It was a handsome, young Asian fellow with long black hair tied back in a ponytail. He was dressed in black pyjama bottoms without a shirt, his slim physique making him look almost feminine. It would appear that he was recently disturbed from his sleep, too.

"Am I in trouble? I just live here with my boyfriend. He doesn't stay here all the time and he's not here at the moment." The man explained hurriedly, he sounded frightened but not ignorant to the kind of creature standing in his living room. He also spoke with a polite British accent.

"And is that boyfriend's name, Sergiu Medrea?" Alucard wondered.

The man crossed his arms over his bare chest uncomfortably and nodded. "Yes. Around here, he goes by another name, Jamie. _I_ call him Sergiu. He uses a lot of other names, actually."

"Oh—and what names are those?"

The man sighed as he thought it over. "There could be others but the ones that I know of are Peter Mansfield, Marcus Lal, Jamie Gillingham and Hyde Kukucka."

"Hmm, that last one's a bit of mouthful, don't you think?" Alucard considered thoughtfully and smirked. "Well, you've been surprisingly helpful."

"I'm not stupid. I know that there is no point trying to fool someone like you. Are you a hybrid or a full-out vampire?" He questioned.

Alucard's smirk turned into a wicked grin. "That would be door number two."

The young man nodded. "I knew this day would come," he claimed and looked towards the door. "They're going to come up here any minute and kill me, aren't they?"

"You mean the anti-freak hunters storming the building?" The vampire king said softly, his voice almost tranquil even as the reign of gunfire exploded beneath them. "Yes, they will, or… I could make it swift for you," Alucard offered and slipped the gun back inside his long coat. "They are still busy on the third floor but they will be here soon."

The building shook a little from a distant explosion and the human wandered closer to the tall, dark creature in his apartment. Without any lights on, Alucard was mostly a dark silhouette with glowing red eyes, eyes that had become more sensual looking in the prospect of fresh blood. The young man tilted his head to the side a little, exposing his long smooth neck and pointed to a bite mark already there. "He doesn't bite very often but once in a while Sergiu feeds from me. I don't mind, he has always taken good care of me. Go on. Make it quick. Drink."

"You know you will die."

"I know—but I'd rather not die by the hands of the people destroying all the hybrids in the building. I don't want them to know I was just Sergiu's plaything. Please… just don't let me turn into a ghoul."

Alucard accepted the offer and gently took hold of man's bare shoulders with his gloved hands. He could already taste the virility flowing inside this human. The delicious nectar of his lifeblood was _so_ strong… no wonder Sergiu kept this human around like a pet, a mindless blood pet. His scent made Alucard's mouth water and he ran his tongue along the backs of his fangs. Until this moment, he had not realised how thirsty he felt. It had been a _very_ long time since he drank fresh human blood straight from the vein.

"I promise. I won't let you become a ghoul," Alucard reassured.

Like a caress, Alucard wrapped his arms around the smaller man, cradling him carefully while he leaned in, opening his mouth full of razor sharp teeth. He found that sweet spot and sank his teeth into the tender flesh, closing his eyes to savour the warm gush of blood.

The young man released a small cry.

The human grasped onto the front of him, fingers tightly gripping the fabric of his red coat. Warmth washed over Alucard, flooding right down to his toes, spreading to his fingertips. And for a moment, the vampire felt his body extrude heat. He felt the verve of life, the closest thing he can ever feel to being mortal.

It was perfect.

And when he sucked out the last drop, pulling away from the dead young man, the door burst open and soldiers filed into the apartment like ants. They arrived just in time to watch Alucard plunging his hand right through some poor soul's heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry Integra! I thought it would be great to get the Iscariot and the Convention of Twelve AND Hellsing working together to achieve a goal. It wasn't a pretty thing by any measure. Also wanted to tie up stuff at the London gang hideout and thought it would be fun to have the crew create some havoc, while also letting Alucard out of his cage for a while. And he got a snack out of the deal lol! What can I say? Mayhem and Hellsing kinda go hand in hand XD! But the gang is getting warmer. Will update again soon! Stay tuned and hold onto your hats cause it's going to be a helluva bumpy ride!
> 
> These next couple of chapters were THE most difficult to write. So. Much. Stress... *headdesk-twitching-drool* I often ask why do I do this to myself? Because I love these characters XD! Writing is like breathing... must do it. It makes everything sweeter. It's a rush. Keep faith...after all the drama here the sweetness will return.
> 
> Next. Chapter 22 - Whore of Babylon. A turn of events takes Integra by surprise, as things quickly get out of hand and finds herself at the mercy of a madman who reveals the extent of his incredible power over blood. (The title of chapter 22 is a nod at Alexander Anderson where in the Hellsing manga he refers to Integra as Babylon, which is also a nod at the Whore of Babylon from The Bible Book of Revelations-there are also many other names for this character which you will see in the next chapter and you will understand why Anderson chose this moniker).
> 
> Reviewers and bookmarker's and kudo people: You guys are the best! Seriously, it brings me much joy and sometimes even tears to see people enjoying the madness! Thank you! *loves*


	22. Whore of Babylon

 

_Book of Revelations – The Bible_

_17:3_

_So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns._

_17:5_

_And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH._

**_X_ **

**_X_ **

**Underground Bunker, London – August 21st, 2:11 a.m.**

_"Master! I just got word about the raid on Sergiu's apartment in London."_ It was Seras's voice inside Alucard's head. _"Did you find her?"_

Alucard had returned to the underground bunker to pass on the alias names Sergiu's tasty boy toy had given him. The government men and Hellsing's intelligence leader, Marvin, were more than thankful for this information. Currently they were talking amongst themselves while he occupied a chair at the long table speaking to Seras telepathically.

_"No, I did not, Seras."_

The female draculina sighed and Alucard could feel her disappointment. He clenched his jaw in frustration.

 _"However, I did discover that Sergiu has been using a few other names and the military are processing those names now."_ Alucard reported. _"I can feel that we are close. Do you have the Hellsing troops all ready for battle?"_

 _"Oh yes!"_ She assured. _"His Majesty has been most generous to me this evening. I can't wait to deploy this baby and stick it up Sergiu's half-breed ass. I'm just waiting for the word."_

Alucard chuckled. _"Yes. I can't wait either. I can't wait to grind Sergiu's bones to dust and…"_

For a brief moment, the old vampire faltered. His rant ended short and he thought, to know the numerous loses he has felt or witnessed in all of his centuries of being that this one certain loss… the unknown fate of his human master had him feeling so undone, so incredibly torn was overwhelming. What a fine penance for his years of wickedness, a fine penance. How dangerous it was to care about _anything_ , to put one's heart on the line… only to have it ripped from his chest! Oh, yes. What divine punishment if he should never again lay sight of his beautiful master, the woman who made up his very existence. The mortal woman he loved.

He finished saying to Seras. _"I cannot wait to see her standing before us safe and unharmed."_

Because the thought of a life without his beloved mistress was simply unfathomable…

In the realm of Alucard's tortured mind, Seras felt her master's pain. She felt it and encouraged him, the light shining on his darkened path. Her voice was full of understanding, like a song, always calling him back to his senses. _"She'll make it, master. Don't worry… she'll make it."_

* * *

**Crawford Park, Subterranean Level – 2:11 a.m.**

While the boss was busy messing around with Integra Hellsing, Alex was preparing their hybrid army beneath the floors of the great house. In the sub-levels of Crawford Park was a series of tunnels and dwellings belonging to 564 hybrid soldiers that joined their ranks in the upcoming extermination war against vampires. It consisted of men and women gathered from all over the world, creatures that they recruited over the last 87 years. Some of them lived here all year round and others came from different countries once called upon.

"The time has finally come and tonight's lunar eclipse will create a blood moon to mark the occasion. Soon we will be off to battle, you will be sent out with your teams all across the world to various locations that we have disclosed as being the resting place of a vampire. These are the creatures that made you who you are today and we will have our revenge on them for stealing our humanity!"

"Yeah!" The large group of hybrids voiced their agreement as one solid unit.

"This is no ordinary fight," Alex reminded them. "We must move with stealth and cunning; avoid conflicts with humans and their machines. They will only serve to hinder your goals and create unnecessary chaos and we are not out to destroy and cause destruction. Nevertheless, there will be sacrifices. There will be some destruction. There is no battle that does not come with sacrifice," he warned them. "But that is not the end. Your strengths are that unlike humans, yet, you retain some of that humanity. Every one of you has a gift, be it resistance to sunlight where the vampire is at our mercy, or reliant on blood for strength when we can still bite into an apple for sustenance. We are all different but _we_ have the upper hand. _We_ have been given this power for a reason and that reason is to wipe out the bloodsuckers or any human that aids them!"

Cheers erupted from the crowd in front of Alex as he stood before them in a big underground hall dressed in his tailored dark suit.

"As you know our leader has a very special guest upstairs, Integra Hellsing, director of the Hellsing Organization—Whore of Babylon, the woman that holds the leash to our most dangerous vampire foes, Alucard and his abomination, Seras Victoria." Alex explained darkly. "Sergiu's decided to put on a little show for you, an opening of ceremonies so to speak. It should not be much longer now. You—"

"Rubbish!"

"Let her burn in hell!"

"Kill her!"

Alex smiled and waited for the animus outpour to calm down amongst his fellow kin. "Yes, soon there will be no more Hellsing's left to control The Dark Prince or his creation. Those two will never again be a threat on the world, so you have nothing to fear as you go forth and slaughter the demons. With them out of the way, we can move around feeling peace of mind. Please, I beg for your patience."

The rowdy crowd called out for Integra's head.

* * *

**Crawford Park – 2:11 a.m.**

After that disturbing bath, the hybrid dried her hair with a blow dryer and brought her to a guest bedroom wrapped in a towel. He opened a closet full of women's clothes, claiming he used the bedroom for female guests of his and that he always stocked the closet with clothes of the era just in case.

"I aim to please," he told her genuinely. "It's important to be a good host."

His assertion was enough to make Integra gag.

There in the large walk-in closet hung a multitude of garments, dresses, trousers, jackets and skirts. The creature had Integra follow him inside the enclosed space but he chose the outfit for her, carrying on as if he was her dotting best friend or something.

Since it was summer and the nights were warm, he chose a simple white sundress for her, stating that it wasn't right that she always dressed like a man. Sergiu told her she needed to embrace her femininity and Integra had to scoff at that. Such assumptions, she thought. It was not as if she would never wear a sundress like this, it was more she had no place to wear it. Running the Hellsing Organization did not allow for much socialising where sundresses were involved and if people were to take her seriously she needed to dress the part.

At least that is what she rationalised. Humans of the male foil tended to favour their fellow man, _especially_ those in government and military. A woman had to use certain strategies to her advantage, lest they regard her as something fragile and weak, a notion that had no place in her personality. Integra was no fool.

Now, at some god-awful time in the middle of the night, seated at the end of a long exquisite table crafted out of polished oak in the center of a large dining room, Integra sat. Sergiu sat nearby at the end of the table, like a king. Before her was a plate of succulent roast beef, truffle mash and mixed vegetables lightly buttered. A fresh roll accompanied the meal along with a glass of red wine. It would seem Sergiu intended to present her with some sort of last supper. He even supplied her with a much-desired cigar.

The symbolism behind these gestures did not go over her head but Integra was not going to argue about the cigar. She gratefully sat smoking the cigar and sipping the wine. However, she didn't have the stomach to consume the food.

"Are you sure you won't try it?" Sergiu wondered as he stuffed his face, beef juices running down his chin.

With a tone of repugnance, Integra replied, "I've kind of lost my appetite. Thank you."

Sergiu merely grunted, dabbing at his chin with his napkin. "My cook is a very talented man. He makes a fabulous braised carrot. It's so sweet that you wouldn't even know it's good for you."

"Then it probably isn't." Integra alleged, puffing on her cigar. She knew this could very well be her last meal and she imagined it did taste lovely, but no part of her would give Sergiu the satisfaction of actually eating it. He could go to hell.

The half-breed shrugged and devoured his human food and he took great pleasure in doing so, grunting and groaning with satisfaction.

"Tell me," Integra began, tapping the ash of her cigar in a crystal ashtray provided by a servant nearby. "What did you hope to achieve with Winmore Crane? I've been curious to understand your motive. Was it simply to torture vampires by the hands of his holy hunters?"

The hybrid leader swallowed his food and looked over at her. "He made us profits mostly by donations collected in his churches but I was also hopeful to obtain a few strong human vampire hunters out of it," he answered. "I put a lot of effort creating what appeared to be a cult and everything. Winmore was a fool, a greedy fool."

"That would appear so," Integra agreed.

"Conducting those rituals was just part of the fun. You wouldn't believe how much some people are willing to pay to be a part of it. Winmore had a knack for finding the wealthiest fucktwats with sinister desires to be named Seekers or Watchers—Holy Hunters." He chuckled and reached for his wine. "Idiots. The lot of them. We had to keep them satisfied that's why I made sure to have a constant supply of weak, anemic vampires at our disposal using Dolores."

"So it was just a racket… nothing more than well thought-out skulduggery," Integra muttered, revolted.

"And it almost blew our cover _way_ too early," Sergiu exclaimed and sipped his wine. "It was my mistake to mess around in the religious sector. Can't depend on lousy humans for nothing, especially the sacerdotal kind. That Yarwood fellow would have squealed so fast—"

"—which is why you had him silenced."

The half-breed held his glass of wine out in Integra's direction in a salute. "Exactly…"

Integra closed her eyes, tired of listening to this priggish ideology. Instead, she savoured the cigar she held between her fingers, bringing it to her lips, forgetting about Sergiu and her predicament for a moment. She focused on the heat running past her fingers from the rolled tobacco as she inhaled, noting the crisp burn, drawing that heat closer to the quick. _Like the precariousness of my life,_ she thought. Perhaps this was her last cigar, too. Pushing such dismal thoughts aside, Integra felt like she was home again. She sat behind her desk— _no_ … she stood on that terrace at the Royal Opera House with Alucard overlooking the city.

She smiled.

Out on that terrace she felt a modicum of what it might be like to be an ordinary woman out on a date with a man. The moment they had out there was flattering. They shared a few deep revelations. For a couple of hours, they dined, drank and danced. Even though she was an awful dancer and stepped on his toes... it did not matter. Alucard had been the perfect gentleman…

Sergiu raised an eyebrow when he looked over to see the strange grin on Integra's face. "Why are you smiling?"

Said smiled vanished. "I just had a thought."

"About," the hybrid pursued.

"About the night I told Mr. McClane he stole my heart," she mused, taking a sip of her wine.

"Who's Mr. McClane?" Sergiu asked confused and threw his napkin over his empty plate.

Integra crushed her cigar into the ashtray. "You wouldn't know him."

Not really understanding what Integra was talking about, Sergiu sniffed. "Lilith!" He beckoned impatiently. His sister entered the large hall a moment later still dressed in her business attire, black skirt, dark blue blouse and black blazer. She glanced at Integra who was now dressed in a long white summer dress, sitting at the table tamping out a cigar in front of an untouched meal. "Sister, will you escort Integra upstairs to my room? I will be there shortly once I have a shower. Ugh, I feel _so_ dirty." His choice of words made him simper but he was the only one laughing.

Tight-lipped, Lilith agreed with a slight nod. She said nothing.

Integra and Lilith watched Sergiu leave and watched a hybrid servant come to collect the dishes. Once the servant left, Lilith grabbed Integra by the arm. "Let's go."

" _Please._ Don't do this," pleaded Integra, yanking herself out of Lilith's hold. She was not ready to die just yet. Alucard was still not here!

"I'm not _doing_ anything… I'm… I'm getting you out of here." Lilith claimed with a scowl. "There are too many freaks here for me to fight on my own and Sergiu… he's got a horrible power that… well, forget about that right now just shut up and follow me."

Stunned for a moment, Integra was quick to catch up to smaller red-haired woman who led her through a few long corridors and towards the back of the estate. Integra pushed her glasses back up her nose as they ran through the giant house and through a connection of unused rooms and a gallery filled with old antiques and furniture covered with white sheets. Over the wide granite mantle above the fireplace, Integra spotted two Spanish rapiers on display and stopped to grab one off the wall. It was a long pointy sword, polished and light with a pewter-coloured cross-guard and pommel. The grip was thick leather.

"Come through here." Lilith told her and they exited a set of patio doors and into the garden.

Integra followed the other woman across a stone path and sitting area with an unused fountain and into an old-fashioned hedge maze in her bare feet. The twigs and rocks hidden in the deep green grass jabbed at her bare soles, but stalling Sergiu was imperative no matter the cost. They turned this way and that in the black recesses of the maze, the scent of the tall cedar hedges filling the air. Integra used her hands to follow the edge of the bushes and used Lilith's voice to direct her. It took a few moments for her vision to adjust but it wasn't difficult since there was a huge full moon out tonight amongst the stars, a perigee moon—when the moon was closest to earth. Integra did a double take, noticing the deep red colour encroaching across the moon… signs of a total lunar eclipse, a rare blood moon.

That moon felt like a bad omen but Integra did not have time to ponder on it. "Why are you doing this? I thought you disliked me," she questioned the woman in front of her.

Lilith took a lengthy moment to reply. "Because it's not right, alright? I can go after vampires and purify the earth without the sordid plans my brother has in store for you," she rationalised. Her voice sounded like she was choking up emotionally.

"Even at the cost of Sergiu's anger?"

"Look, I don't agree with your methods, it's still sacrilege, vampire hunter. But, I can't willingly turn my back on God and his teachings. Some of those tales Sergiu told tonight about him and Gage—they were full of covetousness and ungodliness. _Heathens._ I… I had _no idea_. My brother, he's… he's not who I thought he was and if he thinks I'll just stand by and look the other way… well, than I have surely succumbed to the deceiving voice of the Devil himself," she said as tears slipped from her eyes, blurring her vision. "I won't let Sergiu rape you and drink your blood in front of his entire army. That's what he intends before he kills you, you know. He's sick! You're right, he's no better than the Archbishop Maxwell was. How can I call a man like that my brother?"

Integra gripped the sword in her right hand harder. Betrayed by family herself, Integra knew where Lilith was coming from. "Tell me about Alastair. Did you just use him to get to me?"

Lilith wiped at her eyes, smudging her black eyeliner as they hurried through the maze. "Yes, at first. He came to Rome for a conference a couple of months ago and we met on Gianicolo Hill, he really liked me. We hit it off. I knew he was my ticket out of Section XIII. I knew he was a powerful man with powerful connections and that he could help me. He was the opportunity I had been waiting for, and… well, he was good looking and my affections for him grew." She scoffed and produced a rare smile. "But he blames Hellsing for the loss of his mom and dad and his younger brother during the Battle of London when he was just a boy—said that if Alucard didn't exist at all then none of that would have ever happened. His parents and brother were downtown that night at a social function while he was sick at home with his nanny far out of the city. Deep down he didn't believe that Alucard wouldn't become a problem in the future and agreed to help me and Sergiu in our quest to destroy all vampires."

"And when I put the word out that I required an assistant—"

"Alistair flew me to London two days after Alucard came back. He met me at the airport, excited that I agreed to come here finally to be with him. I met Sergiu many months ago but I had to stay in Rome until the time was right, you see. Then such a brilliant opportunity presented itself, you wanting an assistant. I have to admit, you have treated me with nothing but kindness at the Hellsing Organization, working there was somewhat exciting and I hate that a part of me had come to admire you. You are supposed to be my enemy." Lilith sighed as she struggled internally with her morality. "I've been led astray by hopes and dreams stemming back _two-hundred years_ , dreams of having a real family to love but—"

Before she could finish her reflective thoughts, they stumbled upon a dozen male hybrids gathered in the maze listening to music and playing cards by the light of a mobile, having a good old time. The scent of beer and cigarette smoke was strong. They were supposed to be guarding the grounds but seemed more occupied with goofing off in the maze.

A collection of old and youthful faces turned to look at them as if they had seen a ghost.

"Who the fuck are you?" One of them questioned, eyeing the two females.

Lilith and Integra didn't bother to answer and took advantage of the situation while their guard was down, attacking them first. Lilith straightened her arms and filled her hands with blades as if they came out of her sleeve. She threw her blessed commando knives, taking down two half-breeds at once while Integra skillfully sliced her sword through one's neck, cutting off his head.

Blood spurt all over Integra's white sundress and face and misted her glasses. In the dark, it made it even more difficult to see.

Blinded, Integra put herself in a defensive position, while wiping the blood from her specs. Just as she cleared her vision, a creature jumped out at her, snarling and hissing and she lunged at it but missed, the sword stabbing into thin air. The hybrid vanished and re-appeared behind her and grabbed her by the shoulders but Lilith knocked him off with the use of her telekinetic blood power.

"Your seven o'clock!" Lilith directed.

More alert than ever, heart pumping like a hammer inside her chest, Integra two-handily slashed on the seven, severing a blonde-haired hybrid's head in two. His head split right down the middle like a giant melon.

"Those blessed blades of yours, why in heaven's name did you give them to that imprisoned vampire, Dolores," Integra asked breathlessly as she dodged a punch and stabbed the Spanish blade through a hybrid's ribcage. She had to know.

"I didn't _give_ them to her, she stole them from me," Lilith explained, landing one of her blades directly into the heart of a nearby hybrid. "Sergiu took me to see her in the catacombs of St. George's Cathedral and I thought she was going to attack us so I threw a few of my blades at her. Well, she actually pulled them out of her body and kept them, the cur. Lucky for her, Sergiu stopped me before I could end her miserable life and explained to me what purpose she served for him." The woman sighed heavily. "She was a nun that used to work with Winmore Crane… what blasphemy."

Integra had no words.

During the skirmish, the hybrid holding his mobile like a torch for the card players stumbled backwards, losing hold of his phone, which flew over a hedge, alerting a pair of guards in the clock tower who saw the spinning light below.

They began to ring a bell.

Integra kept hacking through the unarmed hybrids with a dark kind of thrill, killing at least four of them. She backed up against Lilith's back roughly, hearing the blasted bell. "We shouldn't stall any longer," Integra warned. "More will come."

"Shit!" Lilith cursed when she heard the commotion somewhere on the other side of the maze. "They are already coming. I'm telling you, Integra, there are _hundreds_ of monsters around here tonight. We need to act fast. Heads up… this is going to get messy."

Integra watched in disbelief as the few remaining hybrids began to explode, one by one, as if a grenade detonated inside their bodies, turning them into nothing more than bloody ground meat. Their bodies simply disintegrated and their blood came falling down like warm rain. Integra looked on, utterly impressed. And for a tentative moment, she compared Lilith to Walter. Realising what an asset this woman of skill could be to the Hellsing Organization, and sighed. Why did the good ones always come with so much baggage she thought?

"That's some skill you have there. Disgusting, but useful," she commended.

"It's exhausting, this power. It makes me lightheaded if I overdo it. Come on!" Lilith urged and with Integra in tow, they headed for the exit of the maze aiming for the abandoned greenhouse on the other side.

"We must hurry!"

"That's right, you better hurry, Lilith." Someone in a fancy dark suit and black goatee mocked stepping in front of the exit, blocking them. "You filthy deserter, have you given your fealty to this… _this human?_ "

Lilith and Integra froze in their tracks.

"Get out of my way, Alex!" Lilith ordered her brother's second in command. "Or I'll do to you what I just did to those piss ants back there." She turned to Integra and requested quickly while holding out her hand. "Give me the St. Benedict Medal, Integra."

Integra understood where this was going and looped the necklace over her head, she handed Lilith the medal.

"Put that medal back on her," he ordered and narrowed his eyes at Lilith. "Put it back on… _now!_ "

"Make me, heretic!" Lilith challenged and glared at him, her long red hair now loose around her shoulders. She sneered. "You know… I never liked you very much. You are a cold-hearted demon who's always kissing Sergiu's ass."

Alex marched towards them, his upper lip curled, snarling.

Lilith, unafraid, met him half way. " _'_ _The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.'_ " The woman recited quotes from the Bible as she moved towards the dark-haired hybrid holding a palm over the crucifix at her collarbone.

Alex immediately grunted in pain as his limbs and face began to swell. He fell to his knees and rasped, "Oh no, I won't let you do this to me, bitch!"

" _'He shall judge among the heathens!'_ " the ex-Iscariot continued, working some kind of power over Alex, but he was fighting it. Small spikes of blood shot out of his fingertips like embedded rusty nails.

However, he was not blowing up like the rest of those hybrids she just killed. He was fighting it.

Integra noticed how dark it was getting now that her eyes adjusted to the lack of light. She stole a glance up at the moon above. It was nearly red. She didn't know if she should run or stay put. Before her, Alex and Lilith were in a standoff of power as a horde of hybrids gathered at the exit behind Alex, tons of them.

Behind Integra, in the maze, more hybrid creatures came ambling towards them.

There was nowhere to run.

They were cornered.

Integra did not back down. Words like 'give up' and 'surrender' were not a part of her vocabulary. She readied herself with the bloodied sword in hand and stood prepared in her sundress stained with splotches of blood, bare feet and tangled hair.

"Bring it on you freaks," Integra encouraged, her tone cold.

Suddenly, Lilith grabbed at her head, letting out a cry of pain. Alex pushed himself back up to his feet while two ribbons of blood trickled from his nose. He absorbed the blood that leaked from his fingertips back inside of his body. The hybrid licked some of the blood from his upper lip with his tongue and he flashed his gaze at Integra. A shooting pain filled her head, too. Against her will, a strange voice in her mind told Integra to drop the sword.

She did. Just like that. The sword landed in the grass with a soft thump. Then that strange voice made Integra step closer to Lilith and take the St. Benedict Medal from her clutches. It made her put it back on over her head.

Alex roared with laughter. "Did you really underestimate my power to compel, Lilith? Even _you_ cannot resist it. Didn't your brother warn you about me? I can control many minds at once. Who do you think killed that pitiful Watcher at the police station, huh?" He revealed, wiping the rest of the blood off his face with his fingers. "I simply walked in and walked out, making the humans in the entire building forget everything they saw. It was too damn easy."

Unexpectedly, a small hybrid male appeared out of thin air in front of Alex, surprising him. "Sir! We just got word that the British military, two Iscariot and someone that looked like Alucard hit our East London headquarters, killing all the occupants inside the building."

Alex blinked and shook his head. _"What…?"_

In that moment of distraction, Alex loosened his mind control hold on Lilith.

Lilith fisted her hands beside her as if she was using all her strength and closed her eyes. Every hybrid in the maze, male or female, began to keel over in a domino of grisly horror. Their chilling screams of agony filled the empty night. Some clutched at their hearts. Some grabbed at their heads while spikes of blood shot out of their skulls like needles. Others coughed up a fountain of blood and fell to their knees before falling onto their faces-dead-in the grass.

At least thirty creatures fell to their deaths except for Alex, who was a lot more powerful than his backup thugs were. He was older. He had more experience. His stealth was greater if not equal to Lilith's and he regained control of the situation much to her dismay.

His now bloodied suit vexed the dark haired hybrid and he glared at Lilith. "How could you? How can you betray us like this after all that we've done for you?" He cried looking around him at all his dead comrades.

"All you've done is make me realise how loathsome you are, abusing your power for evil," Lilith jeered at him, trying to shake his voice out of her head.

Alex sighed and glanced at Integra. "My Lord isn't going to be too happy to see that his prize went and sullied her dress. Come on, he's wasted too much time with this foolishness already."

Alex controlled both Lilith and Integra back into the house. They entered through a delicate set of French doors and into a big room with white wicker furniture.

Sergiu came running in barefoot as if he had not had time to put on a pair of socks. His hair was wet and he was dressed in a different pair of jeans and a stylish black t-shirt. As soon as his eyes landed on the two women, he came to a halt. He stared at them completely stupefied. Hearing the alarm bell… it did not take him long to realise what was going on, seeing as how bloodstained Lilith and Integra's faces and clothes were.

"You fucking traitor!" he suddenly screamed at his sister.

"My Lord," Alex intervened gravely. "I've just been informed that the British military took out our East London headquarters with a man appearing to look like Alucard and two Iscariots. No doubt, it is the same two Iscariot that have been hunting for Lilith these past couple of weeks."

Sergiu's hazel eyes bulged with Alex's update and he flashed them at Integra who stood there in her ruined sundress, a dress that he had so carefully chosen for her. His eyes lowered to her bare feet soiled by dirt, grass stains and spots of blood. Even her beautiful hair was all tangled and streaked with filth. It filled him with rage. "What the fuck, it has to be a trick. Alucard is nothing more than a dried up old turd, right?"

"Indeed, I confirmed it," Alex reassured. "Alucard and Seras sat desiccated in the dungeon when I went to retrieve Integra earlier this evening. I checked. There is _no_ _way_. Someone is just trying to shake us up. Integra's Protestant Knights are clever and should not be dealt with lightly. It would seem those Iscariots are lending a hand, perhaps Winmore gave away the location of our downtown headquarters to them. My Lord, you must hurry up and finish her already."

Integra stood silently but attentively as Sergiu continued to look over at her with pure hate in his eyes. A chill raced up her spine.

Sergiu was clenching his jaw rapidly in frustration. "Tell me, did they… did they kill my sweet, Sakuma?"

"Everyone," Alex reported. "They are all dead."

At that, Sergiu closed his eyes and seemed to breathe calmly for a moment, like a sleeping volcano. "Alex, you've done well, now go get ready. I have wasted too much time, send out half the teams and cancel the broadcast. Tell them they will receive word when I've killed Integra Hellsing, and trust me… it _won't_ be long." Sergiu explained in an oddly flat manner. "Tell them, I'm sorry but they are going to miss the show."

"Yes, my lord." Alex replied and turned to look at Integra and Lilith. He smirked at them evilly before he walked out of the room.

From the back band of his jeans, Sergiu pulled out a black handgun but Lilith was fast to knock it out of his hand with one of her commando knives. It slid and spun across the floor.

"Stop it, Sergiu!" she cried.

"Oh, I wasn't going to shoot your new best friend, I was going to shoot you… _sister_ ," Sergiu enlightened ever so pleasantly, eyeing his sibling who looked battle torn and wild with her hair down. "Maybe if I put enough bullets in you, you'll actually die. Human regenerator or not you can't possibly heal everything."

Shocked, Lilith tried to reason with him. "You would kill me… just like that?" she countered, stricken. "After everything that has happened to us…?"

 _"To us?!"_ He clamoured contemptuously. "You betrayed me… your _own_ brother! I trusted you. I would have done anything for you, Lilith. I was going to show you the world like a traveller. We could have been free spirits together… going from city to city destroying the bloodsuckers. Our blood bond should be strong enough to endure anything, right? Isn't that what families do for each other?"

"All you needed to do was drink her blood until she died and be done with it. I understand you must drink blood to keep living and I was willing to accept that side of you because you are my brother, but now… now I know what kind of person you _really_ are—the things you have done. You and Gage… you two were mindless murderers. You were monsters, Sergiu. _Monsters!_ I cannot accept it. This is not who my brother is. This is not the kind of family I can be part of." Lilith explained with such bottomless misery. "Our parents were wholesome people. They would not have wanted this for us… for you. You can be so much better than this, Sergiu."

Sergiu seemed to be thinking it over. He remained silent for a moment.

Lilith continued to try to reason with her brother. "The entire way we went about obtaining Integra Hellsing is nothing short of insanity, Sergiu—"

"—but I did it! _Didn't I?_ " He snapped at Lilith. "Where do you think we'd be if Alucard and Seras were still around, eh? Dead. That's what. We'd be dead. There was no easy way about it… we've had this conversation before, Lilith."

"Let go of the darkness, Sergiu. Whatever it is, it doesn't have to control you," Lilith pleaded.

Sergiu murmured thoughtfully. "The darkness, yes… that's what my _mir-i daj_ told me. She said that the devil inside would take over and I'd be swallowed up by darkness."

"Let it go, Sergiu. You don't have to feed into it."

"It's not that simple."

"Sure it is… illumination beats darkness. Let the light in."

"…the light."

"Yes, Sergiu, it's not too late to ask for forgiveness."

"Forgiveness…?" The hybrid repeated and then scowled wretchedly. "But I can't forgive you, Lilith. You will betray me again just as all the other miserable humans have over and over again. No. Perhaps it's best if we go our separate ways. Perhaps, I never had a sister…"

Before Lilith could protest or even control his blood, she noticed Sergiu was holding the gun again but she never saw him pick it up. This time he pulled the trigger and managed to unload the entire magazine into her chest before she could stop him. Shots rang out. _How the hell? Was he…?_ Stunned, the woman glanced down at her middle where blood spread across her dark blue blouse, staining it black.

"Sergiu… how is that… possible," she stammered and fell back, landing on the hardwood floor with a hard thud, red hair fanned around her head. She clutched at her middle.

Integra could not believe what she just witnessed. Sergiu was just standing idle when all of the sudden, Lilith's body recoiled sharply back multiple times as if she was struck by something in her midsection. It all happened _so_ fast. Yet, Integra heard nothing, no gunshots, nor was Sergiu holding the gun. No one moved. Next to her on the floor, the ex-Iscariot lay on her back, blood seeping from the wounds.

The actual gun, however, was still on the floor where Lilith had knocked it out of Sergiu's hand!

The attack wasn't enough to put down the regenerator and Lilith sat up with a mild groan. She gaped at her brother in utter horror. Something was amiss. "You… when did you drink my blood?" she implored, her voice reaching an alarmed pitch. "You're using that power on me. When? _When_ _did you do it, Sergiu?!"_

"I had Alex compel you and you gave it to me willingly a few weeks ago." Sergiu told her simply. "Don't be mad. It was insurance just in case you decided to, you know… _STAB ME IN THE BACK!_ "

"Don't do this, Sergiu!" Lilith begged. "Don't mess with my mind, don't kill me like this. Please, don't."

"The extent of my hospitality ends here. It's too late to entreat and beg now, sister. You're already in my control and that makes you good as dead." His tone took on a thoughtful quality and he said, "I have things I need to do and you… well, you're getting in my way. If you don't fight it too much you'll die swiftly. Happy nightmares, dear sister."

Lilith blinked and before her eyes, she was back in her home in Moldavia. It looked the same as it did when she was nine. The dinner table was set and her mother and father were sitting there quietly with their heads bowed down as if in prayer. "Mom? Dad?" Lilith said to them but they did not reply. Slowly, she approached and reached a shaky hand out towards her mother's shoulder. Yet, the women that turned in her seat was not her mother, it was a monster wearing her mother's light blue dress. Its face was a putrid grey, skeletal and in a state of rotting decay. Her father looked the same and he snarled and leaped over the table at her like a dog, pinning her to the floor and began tearing into her arm with his teeth, chewing on her flesh and swallowing. Lilith tried to get them off her frantically, crying out in pain. Her mother joined her father saying, "Welcome home my sweet Lilith, you're just in time for dinner." Then, she chomped down on Lilith's fingers, bones crunched.

Integra backed a few steps away from Lilith as real panic started to set in her mind. Lilith was sitting on the floor staring at something no one else could see. The redhead called out to her mom and dad, and then she began to whimper and crawl backwards away from an invisible enemy. She began to scream and writhe. Integra watched, horrified as parts of Lilith's body became torn and bloody, her fingers cracked as they bent backwards. Something was attacking her.

"What the hell are you doing to her?" Integra demanded suddenly. "Stop it!"

"Lilith has this recurring nightmare that our parents become zombies and eat her. That's what's happening to her. She can't make contact with them but the wounds they inflict are real... almost like a stigmata, except we're not talking about Jesus here." Sergiu explained with a shrug. "I doubt she'll regenerate from that, they'll chew her apart until there's nothing left. You see, Lilith and I were born with this gift to manipulate the blood of all living creatures… telekinetic power over blood. It is amazing, really. When I became a hybrid inside of my dear old mum, my power to control the memories, dreams and fears residing in a person's blood became possible. Some vampires see such information in a person's blood when they drink from them, well, so can I. I might not have gained all vampire traits but that is one skill, I _definitely_ mastered and I've had 200 years to perfect it."

Sergiu came closer to Integra and stood before her. He lifted a hand to brush some of her hair off her shoulder gently. "Once I drink a person's blood, I can then conjure anything from it—before their eyes their worst nightmares appear or maybe an event that just happened, happens again. Imagine the possibilities, Integra. The mind is a vast and endless realm of possibilities. What I conjure is real to them and exists only on their plane of reality, their ribbon of life… their wheel of time. Only they can see it but we cannot, except for me because I invoke them. They experience the danger but we do not. Memory perception. Time perception. The blood gives me that control."

Dealing with Alucard, Integra knew many powers were out-of-this world possible. However, to think that a hybrid had developed such a power was nothing short of incredible. No wonder this creature has been able to live on as long as he has for a mere hybrid. Yet, what Sergiu was doing to Lilith…

"You monster, you're nothing more than a depraved freak! How can you do that to your own flesh and blood?" Integra said to him, disgusted. It was hard to ignore the terrified cries coming from Lilith who was twisting, flailing, and trying to fight off her attackers. The Hellsing woman looked away, unable to watch any longer.

"Who the hell asked you, huh?" Sergiu claimed and grabbed her by the hand, forcing Integra's palm to rub over his stiffening arousal. "Can you feel it? I'm rather turned on right now even if you did go and ruin your pretty dress. Now... you're nothing but a filthy little bitch."

Sergiu picked her up and threw her over his shoulder and proceeded up the stairs to his bedroom.

"ALUCARD!" Integra called and began to protest, beating her fists off his back but Sergiu just howled with amusement.

"That's it! _Scream his name._ Scream it as I take the precious virginity you saved for him. Don't lie Integra… you waited for him--I hope he can hear us from the dead." He laughed and tossed the soiled Hellsing director on top of his king-sized bed covered with a pristine white comforter and climbed over top of her like a predator.

Integra tried to kick him and claw at his face but all she managed to do was knock a lamp off one of the end tables at the side of the bed. It dimmed the room by half. They twisted and turned but his strength was too much for her. The struggling only seemed to excite him further. He smacked her hard across the face and she reeled back in pain, her mind spinning.

"I have you just where I want you. You know, I was going to ruin your maiden virtue before the eyes of my militia. Look." He glanced up in the direction to where a small camera, affixed to the wall in the corner of his gigantic bedroom, stood blinking with a tiny red light. "But I had to call it off because we've wasted too much time. They were all hoping to see me destroy Alucard's soon-to-be whore. It's too bad really. I truly wanted to take this slow and show you a good time, show you what a great lover I am. I wanted to show you what _real_ lovemaking is like before I finish you, but Lilith had to go and burst my _fucking_ bubble!"

He chuckled heatedly and fumbled with his jeans, lowering the zipper with his right hand while holding his left across Integra's throat, choking her. As she gasped for air, he removed himself from the confines of his pants and reached over, pushing her bloodstained summer dress up over her hips, exposing her. He nudged her legs apart with his knees and climbed over top of her once more, letting go of her throat.

"I knew you were a bad girl, but no underwear? It's like you _knew_ this was going to be a special night." He teased, yet he was the one that did not give her underwear to put on in the first place.

"ALUCARD!" Integra cried out miserably, her voice becoming raspy from the choking. She used her hands to push at Sergiu's face but the creature just laughed and rubbed his naked length against her sex, teasing her.

Caught up in a struggle she could not fight her way out of, Integra whimpered for her vampire, _"Alucard. Please. Hurry…"_

Sergiu simpered at her torment.

"Have you seen the moon? I bet it's totally eclipsed and completely red by now, like blood, the emblem of life. That is why I chose this night to capture you and feast off you… the setting is divine. These moons are very rare, as rare as the blood you carry in your veins." Sergiu caught the scent of her lifeblood as he held her arms down with both of his hands. "Mmm, speaking of blood yours sure smells fine, perhaps one little taste before I pop that fifty-two year old cherry, huh?"

Completely caught up in his game, Sergiu leaned back down and knelt between her legs, resting back on his haunches. He ran his hands along her inner thighs and brought his mouth to the side of her knee where he planted a kiss. The act was very sensual. He kissed up along her inner thigh, avoiding the places where dried up blood was caked onto her skin. Then he opened his mouth and broke the tender skin with his fangs, sinking his teeth into the sweet flesh of her thigh, chuckling with delight.

Integra let out a sharp cry, the bite was extremely painful there. But she took advantage of the one moment her arms were free and Sergiu was not watching, slipping the St. Benedict Medal from her neck. Stuffing the medal under a pillow, she could feel Sergiu sucking on her blood painfully and she pleaded for Alucard again. _She could not die without him! She was not ready to let him go!_ She felt her throat shred and tears stung her eyes. Tears of pure resentment and loathing. Yet, that anger came to a pause when Sergiu lifted his mouth and stared up at her as if she had suddenly sprouted wings.

The strange expression on his face filled her with dread.

"Your blood… it's not right. It tastes funny," he murmured, his voice full of disappointment. "Blood like yours should taste like a fine aged wine. A vampire would _kill_ to get his hands on such pure virgin blood, but this… _THIS HAS VAMPIRE BLOOD IN IT!_ " He blasted, disbelievingly. "It's Alucard's blood, I bet. You've ruined everything!"

Sergiu was furious. He grabbed her by the neck with both hands and squeezed.

"You useless bitch, you lied to me! You fucking drank that bastard's blood. I can't fucking believe this. You're nothing but tainted garbage. I'm going to kill you!" He screamed at her in a violent wave of unprecedented fury.

* * *

**Underground Bunker, London – 2:42 a.m.**

Alucard shot up from his seat.

He startled the men in the bunker more than once tonight and he did it again when he suddenly stood up at the end of the table and said nothing. This was the second time he jumped up like that, unmoving, staring off to nowhere. The Convention of Twelve members were already on edge but pushed a little further with the big red vampire watching over them like a ticking time bomb.

It was no secret that if they did not find Integra Hellsing soon Alucard was going to crush their skulls like over ripened fruit.

For the most part, since they returned from that raid in East London, the vampire sat in the bunker silent, yet fidgety. None of them had ever seen the commanding nosferatu in such a high-strung state before. He sat there tapping his foot, drumming his gloved fingers on the table and sometimes, he even sighed aloud, like an impatient king on his throne.

Now Alucard was on his feet again. He darted up from his chair in such a flourish that he startled the whole group in the small square room.

"What is it, Alucard?" questioned Sir Irons, peculiarly. "Why do you keep doing that? What's happening?"

"I'm not sure," answered the vampire thoughtfully. "I feel as though a gateway was opening to something… a connection that still hasn't reached its destination. I suspect the barrier between Integra and I disappeared for a moment, but… it appears to be false. The barrier has returned. I feel nothing."

That explanation simply flew over everyone's heads and the government officials sighed collectively.

Alucard grumbled with irritation and sat back down, tired of this waiting game. However, he spoke to Seras in mind. _"Seras, make sure the Hellsing troops are ready. My instinct tells me that something interesting is about to transpire."_

_"Yes, master! I'll get them ready. The chopper is on stand-by."_

Everyone stared at the vampire uneasily, but when it seemed like he wasn't about to go nuclear on them, they began going about their business as usual.

For Alucard, the seconds never felt so long. Time was now his enemy. An adversary he had not had to face in a while. Outside he seemed cool, but inside, Alucard was raging.

All of the sudden, Rob Walsh's personal phone rang and he picked it up. "Yes, what is it?" he said and listened. " _What!_ You found one of those alias names connected to a deed?" He, too, flew up from his seat much like Alucard had, being relatively fast for an old guy. He swiftly began to write something down on a sheet of paper. It was an address. "Gage Crawford sold his property to one, Mr. Gillingham, back in 1943. That's our guy, Sergiu Medrea. _Unbelievable!_ Good work, sergeant. Yes, I'm writing it down. That location is merely twenty minutes away. We're on our way."

All the people in the room began to clamour and Alucard was already entering the address into his mobile device, upon overhearing the phone call, when a familiar voice met his ears.

 _Alucard!_ _Alucard!_

It was Integra. He could suddenly hear her loud and clear. The barrier was gone.

"Master!" Alucard called out to her. The gateway to Integra's location became a bright shining beacon in the distance of his mind. He could hear Integra calling to him desperately. He could even feel her distress. "I'm on my way!"

The Convention of Twelve watched Alucard vanish.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ack! I'm sorry for the cliffhanger but this chapter was getting so long. I will update very soon as usual!
> 
> With the medallion removed Alucard can find his Integra, but not only that, the Twelve know of the location too! Everyone is on their way. One more chapter before the climax chapter!
> 
> Just some thoughts about Alucard's omnipresent power in my fic. As I stated in Chapter 1 author's note, I have only enabled Alucard's omnipresent power as far as shown by Schrodinger in Hellsing OVA. That being said, this power comes into play in the next two chapters in a big way and I researched extensively about supernatural powers to find one that worked with omnipresent beings, which is time manipulation. This is something Sergiu is able to do on ALL levels of being, ALL realms and plains of existence. This is just my idea, of course, we could talk endlessly about how it all works and run in circles. Who knows the exact extent of this omnipresent power, we all have our theories, but I had to take some liberties or there wouldn't be a story. I also have this idea that Alucard may have to learn how to use such a power and, at the moment, doesn't fully comprehend it himself. As he claims in the OVA that it's a 'conundrum'. Just putting that out there so we're all on the same page : )
> 
> Next. Chapter 23 - Wolf's Lair. Alucard and Sergiu face off but things don't go exactly as planned for our No Life King. And Seras and military arrive at Crawford Park, guns blazing.
> 
> Readers: So many thank yous! Gosh, I wonder if I update to fast? Maybe readers can't keep up? I'm sorry! I hope you're enjoying the craziness!


	23. The Wolf's Lair

**Crawford Park, Kent County – August 21st, 2:44 a.m.**

Alucard appeared in the middle of a stylish, modernistic bedroom with off-white walls and dark brown furniture with a cozy fireplace. He stood on shaggy white rug on top of a dark wood floor at the foot of a huge hulking bed. And there, on top of the bed, was Sergiu, straddled over a struggling Integra who was covered from head to toe in dried blood, choking the life out of her with his bare hands wrapped around her throat.

Alucard's face contorted into a visage of pure behemothic fury at the sight.

He let out a manic roar that shook the walls of the bedroom and swarmed in like hellfire, grabbing Sergiu by his shirt and throwing him off Integra like mindless waste. The dhampir went flying into a wall made of plasterboard with a crash and a cloud of white dust, creating a large indentation in which he was stuck and disoriented for a moment.

Integra sat up at the side of the bed, wheezing and coughing, gasping for air.

Alucard swiftly knelt down in front of Integra and gazed up at his mistress, inspecting her carefully, relieved beyond words to see he had made it _just_ in time. The vampire shook his head ruefully, frustrated that she had chosen such a dangerous path in which to lead them to the mastermind of the Evil Eye organization.

He placed his gloved hands on her knees attentively, noticing a fresh bite mark on her thigh that Sergiu must have placed there just below his thumb. The thought _burned_ him. How dare another creature mark Integra with his fangs? Alucard removed his orange-tinted glasses and set them on the nightstand nearby, sniffing discreetly. He could not sense any of Sergiu's essence on her, but that still did not mean a damn thing. From the way Integra was dressed, her white summer dress splotched with blood, Sergiu had been a busy boy doing God-knows-what to her. Yet, he could tell that the blood that stained her did not belong to his master.

It stunk of hybrid blood. _Lots_ of hybrid blood.

His crimson eyes trailed back up to see a normal colour returning to Integra's face. She was still wearing her eye patch but her glasses were badly cracked. In addition to the strange scents encompassing her, Alucard picked up something unusual, the floral scent of a foreign shampoo. He immediately furrowed his brows. It was not the same product his master usually washed her hair with—he knew the scents she bathed with well—and his imagination began to run wild. What did this scumbag hybrid do to his mistress?

However, his sordid thoughts flitted away as soon as Integra's poignant gaze was on him—a blue-eyed gaze filled with a combination of emotions. A single tear spilled from her eye and Alucard's expression turned wistful. He reached up to dry the wayward tear that streaked her battle-stained face with his gloved thumb ever so gently.

"I'm here, my master. It's over," he assured tenderly. "Everyone is on their way and soon it will be the end of this little shop of horrors. I just confirmed with Seras—they are not far away. I wish we could have got here sooner, but just as the magical barrier they were using to block you from me vanished, Robert Walsh's people found the address linked to Sergiu from some old property deed. Now Seras is leading the British and Hellsing Army here and they will slaughter all the vermin. Your efforts have not gone to waste, Integra. "

Yet, concern crossed over her features and Integra inhaled ragged breaths over her damaged windpipe. "He's got your blood… my blood." She rasped harshly, sounding dreadful. Gingerly, with her fingers she inspected her bruised neck and swallowed painfully. Speaking aloud was searing her throat like fire, making it difficult to talk. It made her good eye well with more tears.

Not quite understanding what Integra was trying to say, Alucard came up with his own conclusions. His eyes grew narrow and he questioned with tight-lips, "Did he claim you?"

Integra rolled her one good eye. Was _that_ all the lunkhead could think about? Alucard was fretting over her when he needed to worry about Sergiu. A frantic expression came over her face; she could hear the despicable hybrid moaning in the wall across the room. _He was waking up!_ There was no telling how this creature might manipulate either of them, as his capabilities were still vague, but clearly powerful. No matter the various powers Alucard possessed, he still had blood in his necromantic body.

With a scowl, she shook her head and whispered sorely. "No, he didn't. But you must listen…"

He did not listen.

Alucard was satisfied to know that his master's virtue was intact and he was up on his feet striding across the room, yanking Sergiu out the wall ready to rip his spine out of his pretty-boy body. The psychopathic bastard was going to pay for what he's done. He was going to pay for treating his beloved Queen this way.

The man hung in the vampire's grip by his torn black t-shirt, feet barely touching the floor, his greenish, hazel eyes expressing complete and utter shock.

"Tsk. Do up your trousers." Alucard droned. "The sight of you disgusts me."

The half-breed was fumbling with the front of his jeans awkwardly while squawking, "How the… _how the hell are you even here?_ How are you still alive? This has to be a trick." He stared into the flaming red eyes of the world's most notorious bloodsucker in his large red fedora and red frock coat. "You're supposed to be dried up in a basement with that bitch of yours. My guy saw you there!"

The vampire heard the alarm in the hybrid's voice. The creature was truly afraid of him. Alucard scoffed. "I'm here because you made one fatal error. You got cocky. And that error is going to cost you your genocidal war against vampires, Sergiu Medrea." Alucard claimed, pronouncing his name with perfect Eastern European flare.

"W-what do you mean?" Sergiu asked incredulously, blinking stupidly at the king of vampires.

"You underestimated a Hellsing. Trust me, I tried that once and failed just like you," Alucard answered with an odd sense of nostalgia in his voice. "This Hellsing led you to believe your plot was successful and you bought it, you bought it along with the rest of your pathetic half-breed losers. You've had a prosperous reign, you've built yourself quite the criminal empire, but someone should have put you out of your misery a long time ago. _I'll have your head on a pike!_ "

Sensing that they were about to be interrupted, Alucard side-glanced towards the bedroom door. "Oh? Who's this…?"

The door suddenly flew open and a tall man with dark hair and a dark goatee stood there gaping at the sight in the room. "My Lord, I heard the ruckus and—" Alex began to shout and before he could enter, Alucard slammed the door shut again with his own telekinetic powers.

"Try the next house, we don't want any!" The vampire growled.

But the guy could not take a hint, his foot smashed through the wooden door and the man in the smart looking suit and waistcoat entered the room forcefully.

Sergiu took advantage of that moment and punched Alucard right in the nose, _hard_. The vampire dropped the hybrid but pulled out both of his enormous guns in retaliation. Alucard took a shot at Alex and Sergiu simultaneously, arms crisscrossed. But they both managed to dodge the bullets.

The No Life King made a face of absolute surprise. "Oh, you're both pretty fast and that sucker punch actually struck a nerve. I'm impressed. Well then, I guess you want to play. Excellent. _Ha-ha-ha!_ I was hoping you might indulge me." His twisted grin was a toothy one full of dark monstrous glee. "Where is that sister of yours, the Iscariot that worked with Anderson? I was hoping she might join us."

Alucard opened fire on them.

The two hybrids dodged a myriad of bullets that pounded through the walls like giant fists, splintering wood and drywall around the room. Elegant paintings tore to bits. The television fell off the wall with a crash and a decanter of scotch exploded. All four of the large glass-paned windows in the room blew out from the ricochet.

"She can't join us if she's dead!" Sergiu snapped while avoiding bullets. "Lilith decided she'd rather _save_ Integra than kill her, but I suppose she helped me get this far so she wasn't completely useless!"

Alucard grunted in response to that. _Sergiu killed his own sister_ , he thought _._ The news rendered him silent. It was clear that this individual was beyond deranged. For a brief moment, Alucard realised that there was a lot more to Lilith than any of them knew. And he could not help but feel a little bit disappointed that the closest thing to Anderson had already departed this world.

Integra covered her ears and took cover on the other side of the bed, her back against the wall. She cursed Alucard's stubbornness and refusal to listen as he chased the hybrids out the broken windows and onto the rooftop, into the night.

"You two are nothing more than cowards running like frightened sheep. Why don't you stop this nonsense and face me?" Alucard asked of them and glanced up at the sanguineous moon above. He was mesmerised for a moment and remarked, "Ah… magnificent—a perfect night for battle." He vanished and reappeared behind Alex, holding a gun to the back of his head. "Say goodbye."

Alucard went to pull the trigger but his finger would not move. He scowled.

"Having a little trouble?" Alex wondered slyly using his power of compulsion. He turned around on the dark shingle-covered rooftop. "You misjudged me, great vampire."

With alarm on his face, Alucard's arms began to move against his will and he pointed The Casull and The Professional underneath his own chin… and pulled the triggers. _Splat!_ He blew off his own head in one bloody explosive bang. His headless body dropped to its knees and then fell forward atop the rooftop like a decapitated scarecrow.

"HA! Take that you old bat!" Sergiu screeched at Alucard's corpse.

Before they could celebrate, however, the sound of approaching helicopters was unmistakably coming towards them. And up in the sky, just above the trees, a blinking green light caught their eye. It was just floating in one spot.

"What the hell is that?" Sergiu questioned Alex nervously, squinting at the camouflaged object eerily hovering there.

"I think it's a drone. It's the British Army. They're already here and watching us!" Alex proclaimed.

Just then, the unmanned aerial combat vehicle fired a missile, blowing up a garage containing their vehicles and some equipment. The fireball lit up the night. Then, the drone flew off to find other targets much to the dismay of the two hybrids who watched it.

"Bastards!" Sergiu cursed. "Go assemble our militia, Alex. We have no choice but to fight back. It's fight back or we'll be slaughtered. If we leave the group assembled underground, they are nothing more than sitting ducks. Go—let them out. Let them _fight_ ," he ordered. "At this point we can't run. If it's a fight they want we'll give it to them."

"But sir, half our army left already. They should be safely out of the British Army and Hellsing's radar, but now our numbers are low. We only have about 240 hybrid soldiers and they are not equipped like real combat soldiers. They are just supposed to hunt and destroy vampires— _not_ the British Army and their modern technology, they were never designed for that kind of fighting. Compared to the military we are nothing more than a petty gang of hybrids. On top of that, Lilith destroyed about thirty of our people already." Alex reminded his leader despairingly.

Off in the distance they could see many vehicles coming along Manor Road, the main road leading to Crawford Park was dotted with a bright line of lights. The British Army and their glorious new Anti-Freak squad and the Hellsing army… they were coming in troves. Scrunching up his nose, Sergiu could not believe his eyes. The fuckers even brought a tank! And said tank was leading the entire brigade of military vehicles. Soon all those trucks would enter the small village belonging to the hybrid families Sergiu land lorded over about a mile away.

The smirk on his face was bittersweet.

All these years of planning and hard work, all this time remaining undetected and safe, Sergiu gnashed his teeth together. He'd made a lot of illegal money. He'd made a lot of friends. He'd killed a lot of people. He was a powerful leader and his followers were like family to him. Now that sneaky Hellsing bitch ruined it all! He had fallen for her heinous, deceiving trap. He underestimated Integra Hellsing, a clever woman who would have him believe her Organization ruined and her weapons put to sleep. Not only did she play him for a fool but she must have played Alucard as well. Truly, she was a remarkable leader, indeed.

He glanced towards his bedroom.

"Unless…" He grinned evilly. "I have just the idea. I refuse to surrender that easily. I'm done messing around with Alucard, he underestimates me. I'm not going to let him or them have what they came here for. It's too fucking late. I will win! This siege will only end badly for them if it has to end badly for us, right?" He looked over at his second in command.

Alex nodded reluctantly. "I suppose so." He said. "Sir, whatever happens to us I just want you to know… it has always been a pleasure working with you. Eighty years we spent building towards something important and I do not regret a thing—actually, that's not true. My only regret… is that I never told you how much you mean to me. I… I just wanted you to know."

With that, Alex vanished leaving Sergiu to stand there completely bewildered for a moment. The gang leader ran his fingers through his tousled light brown hair and scoffed. "Alex… you fool." He turned, heading back to his bedroom.

There was no time to waste.

Unbeknownst to the Crawford leader, Alucard's corpse was rising from the dead. Black tendril shadows poured out of his collar and forged a makeshift head, two red eyes opened within the dark mass. Alucard was still not quick to force himself out of damaged states with his omnipresence power. Oft times he still relied on his shadow power, his black magic. To him that was still how _real_ vampires do battle and he took a sense of pride in that.

Alucard summoned his favourite night creatures, bats. Thousands came to him in a swarm bringing him life and energy. With it, he repaired the damage. The high-pitched screeching filled the inky night with their music and Alucard absorbed his faithful servants into his being until there was not a fleck of damage left.

The transformation took mere seconds.

Sergiu spun around in the lively bat swarm to witness Alucard coming back to life a lot faster than he anticipated. He felt a spike of panic and dashed to his bedroom in search of Integra. He intended to finish the job of killing her. And there he found her, still sitting on the floor with her back to the wall next to the nightstand and the bed. When she saw him, her mouth dropped open, and just as he took a step towards her, Alucard appeared like the arrogant bastard that he was, blocking his path as if he were Integra's prized champion.

At first, the hybrid felt a pit of doom slide over his innards like ice water. He couldn't stop panicking from an old fear worked into his mind from decades of tales told to him about Alucard—Dracula—the Hellsing pet vampire, the ancient Impaling Prince and his devastating armies' centuries ago. He was truly afraid of this vampire. But this was now, and Sergiu had one weapon to use against him that he never dreamed of getting his hands on… _his blood_.

Desperation brought him a jewel. He did not have to run from Alucard at all. The tang of Alucard's blood still coated his tongue like foul swamp water.

The blood flowing through Integra Hellsing's veins contained that demon's essence and now that essence told Sergiu a fabulous story. It also told him Integra's woebegone tale but he could only control one person at a time. Now that he stopped freaking out, he could see everything and he did not have to be afraid. He just had to listen to the blood.

"What's so funny, half-breed? Enjoying the idea of your imminent death?" Alucard inquired.

Sergiu felt a new wave of confidence and it showed on his face. "I didn't know that I was smiling," he mused. "Perhaps I was the one enjoying the idea of _your_ imminent death."

Alucard merely blinked at him and sneered. " _My death…?_ You're pathetic."

"What? You don't believe me?" Sergiu countered arrogantly. "Well, perhaps you'll believe me if I kill your beloved master. Look at her… all tattered and torn like a used tramp. I washed her up, offered her a nice meal and put her in a nice summer dress—and what did she do? She went out and ruined it trying to escape, cutting down my hybrids with my wretched, backstabbing sister as if they were the infamous Porthos and Aramis or something. You know… I almost took her virginity but then I tasted her blood and guess what?"

"I suppose you're going to tell me whether or not I care to hear it." The No Life King retort sourly.

"I discovered her blood was laced with _your_ blood. Can you fucking believe that? _Disgusting!_ " Sergiu lamented. "I didn't see that coming—let me tell you. I mean, after all this time looking forward to drinking that pure, virginal nectar of hers… your scummy blood spoiled it. What a disappointment."

"Kill him!" Integra rasped urgently from behind, tugging on the hem of Alucard's heavy red coat.

Alucard turned slightly and glanced down at his mistress warily—and his face fell with realisation. He recalled the conversation he had with Seras and Judy about Sergiu's blood manipulation. But he failed to make that a concern of his because he did not think for a second that Sergiu consumed _his_ blood. However, the hybrid garnered it out of Integra and it dawned on Alucard what was happening, but it was already too late. He could not move his body. When he looked back up at Sergiu, he stood before him with Integra in a headlock, a hand over her mouth muffling her sounds of distress.

He never even saw the man move. "Is this an illusion?" Alucard wondered. "Have you created this scene out of my blood? Did you stop time, warp reality?"

"You're beginning to understand, Alucard. Don't beat yourself up too much. It's either I control you or her, and well… I can't afford to release you to torture her. You had the chance to kill me but your arrogance got in the way. Lucky for me," Sergiu revealed with a grin.

The vampire grimaced.

With his eyes on Alucard, the hybrid licked the side of Integra's face like a savage beast, tasting the salt left behind from her tears. "I bet that pisses you off when I touch her like that, hmm?" He goaded and continued. "Her blood and your blood are filled with fascinating bits of information… there are things about both of you I never would have imagined. Like… did she tell you how she cried each night for an entire month after you disappeared, abandoning her for three decades?" Sergiu sniffed. "Pathetic. Yet, it is clear that she can be a real killer and you, a proper romantic. Hrmph. Well—how about that? I guess I was correct in my assumption earlier that the both of you would make an exceptional pair. The King and Queen of the Bloodsuckers. _Gah!_ _I don't get it._ What does she see in a decrepit old vampire with cobwebs between his legs and centuries of dirt on his back? At least _I_ don't have to sleep in a coffin."

Overhead a helicopter flew by, it's spotlight flashing outside the busted windows in the room.

Alucard only stared at the hybrid saying nothing.

"What no clever comeback? You're just going to stand there like a mute calculating my cruel death?" Sergiu demanded as he moved over to the fireplace, dragging a fussing Integra along with him. He picked up a fire poker that had a sharp point on it like a whaling harpoon. "How about now...?"

"Wait, what are you going to do?" Alucard questioned cautiously, brows furrowing. He tried to teleport but he only ended up back in the same spot that he started, like a loop. It would seem as long as Sergiu had command of his blood he could control where he went with it, everywhere and nowhere. "Don't do it, Sergiu. I beg of you. _Don't do this._ "

"Ah, that got your attention, hmm? Her death. I know from your blood it is one of your biggest fears, vampire. Nonetheless, that is _exactly_ what needs to happen. All those people outside are coming to get me and stop my hybrid army. We had such important plans to wipe out you bloodsuckers and now you've gone and ruined that. So— _no!_ I am not giving her back. Do what you will to me, but I'm never giving her back to you!"

With that, Sergiu plunged the iron rod right through Integra's back and out her midsection, the tip of the fire poker protruding from her stomach.

Integra released a horrible, guttural cry of anguish, fresh blood spreading across the fabric of the sundress. It ran down between her legs and spilled from her lips. She hung in torment against the creature that held her up like a damaged puppet, her eyes squeezed shut and face cringed with agony.

Alucard's mouth fell open. He ceased to be.

For a brief moment, he did not even know where he was. His whole world imploded into a static state of cipher… of nothingness. He clenched his quivering teeth together with hands fisted severely at his sides and let out a tremendous roar.

When he was finished releasing his rage, Alucard screamed at Sergiu. "YOU STUPID FOOL! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"

The vampire's wrath was palpable and Sergiu flinched, his ear drums were ringing. Alucard never looked more demonic than he did at that very moment. Those red eyes blazed and his raven hair seemed to writhe on its own as it if were alive. His lips drew back from his gritted fangs, seething like a creature of hell through his monstrous teeth.

"By the way, what you just saw was not a manipulation I conjured." Sergiu said. "That was real. However, I did capture her by stopping your perception of time. And when I restarted it, she was within my grasp." He laughed and let Integra go. She fell to the floor in a heap, lying on her side, moaning and clutching at the metal rod impaled through her middle. "That's payback for devouring my boy Sakuma. Now you can watch your beloved die while I have a little fun with you, that is… if you are not too busy putting yourself back together." He laughed again but this time it was sarcastic and cruel.

With his mind reeling at the situation, Alucard blinked twice as a double that looked exactly like him appeared before him. Instantly, the memory of his fight against Victor in the cathedral came to mind… the hybrid capable of shape-shifting into anything he desired. Alucard grunted under his breath until the double pulled out two guns, one being his old Jackal, and shot him directly in the chest at close range.

The blessed bullets actually struck him and Alucard smashed back into the wall directly behind him, making the room rumble. He recovered easily enough but the double was fast, just as fast as he was, and taking more shots at him, riddling his body with bullets.

Alucard grunted as the bullets struck him. The pain was very real.

"To make things fair I'll let you move around, but dare come close to Integra and you'll find that you cannot. I just think it will be amusing to watch you killing yourself. Seriously, what better adversary to fight you than yourself since no one else stands a chance against a monster like you, right?"

Sergiu twittered.

The hybrid was true to his word and released the hold on Alucard's blood enough so that he could move around and fight back, at least. The vampire had little choice… it was either shoot or be shot. Alucard pulled the revolutionary, iron-coloured Professional out from inside his coat and pointed it at his double, firing a heavy explosive round. But the bullet only hit a vase on the other side of the room, obliterating it into a cloud of glass dust.

The bullet did not even hit the double. It only went right through it.

"That's the problem, Alucard, what you see exists and it is very real but it's on a whole other level, kind of like ghosts. They can hit you but you cannot hit them back. You really should have listened… Integra _did_ try to warn you. Hrmph, you really are like a dog, so focused on the rabbit that you did not even notice the snare in your path as you chased it. I can see now why she had to keep her crucial plans from you to begin with. She manipulated you by training herself to block your mind reading. Oh yes, I understand why you admire her so much. She's a superior woman with the intelligence you lack," Sergiu taunted and laughed gleefully, watching Alucard being pulverised as his double pummelled him with gunshots. "How about another combatant, vampire…?"

A new opponent appeared before Alucard and his frustration grew tenfold.

It angered The No Life King to face the persona he disliked the most, his human self, the weakling self, the self that could not face death. The self that was obsessed with gaining God's attention that he sacrificed everything and anything to prove it… the self that put him on this undead path centuries ago.

As much as Alucard longed for his humanity or harboured regrets for his weaknesses, he had finally come to terms with the fact that he was truly immortal. There was no amount of crying or fighting that would give it back to him. He had to accept who he was. And he did. Anderson reminded him of that. Losing Integra and Seras for thirty years reminded him of that. He would accept whatever fate had in store for him as long as he had them… his family, the only two people in the world that truly cared about him. _They_ were his everything. Because of them, he was able to hold on to that small shred of humanity still left inside of him. They nurtured that part of him and he would stop at nothing to keep it.

Now Integra lay dying at the feet of this pathetic worm—a creature that was part human and part vampire, a hybrid with a self-righteous sense of power and greed. A man that thinks he is above the laws of humanity. A man bent on the destruction of vampires because he is bitter that they made him who he is. Here stands a creature bringing fear, hate, and pain… Alucard could not understand that fascination for he did not live for those things. He lived because he cannot die. He decided a long time ago, that there were much grander pleasures to indulge in than pain. War was glorious. Oh yes, it set fire to his blood. A good fight was most welcome, but the true question at the end of every battle was a very simple one:

Was there anyone waiting to greet him when he returned from the fight?

That is what Alucard wanted. Deep down, that is all he ever wanted, even if it took him hundreds of years to figure it out. No. Moaning about past endeavours was pointless, a pure waste of time. Now his future came with real plans, intense expectations of impending pleasures. He had constructed a selfish plot after more than a century of imagining no such thing and it had nothing to do with invasions or war. He did not want to build an army of servants or have them kneel at his feet. His only struggle was about this love for one mortal female and his desire to make her his for all eternity.

Now, as she lay bleeding to death, his dreams were quickly slipping through his fingers. _Fuck!_

Alucard faced Vlad, his human self and he ground his fangs together, his eyes narrowed with loathing. Before him stood both, his old human self _and_ his red Count self. Even though Sergiu had these constraints on him, Alucard found he was still able to transform into his black leather jumpsuit form. Just to make it interesting, he transformed into his long, lanky form with the black straps across the chest, letting his raven hair grow long and straight. He hissed at the doubles, his elongated tongue hanging from his mouth like a feral dog. Alucard took a swing at Vlad out of spite, hoping to smash his arrogant teeth in, but his fist merely phased through his old countenance and Vlad gazed at him with his blue eyes full of misery.

"You think you can beat me?" His Romanian self mocked with unbound conceit. "You don't stand a chance."

"Come on you snivelling low-life maggot," the Count double taunted, adding in his two cents.

"This is ridiculous. You sound nothing like me."Alucard professed. Integra moaned and he glanced down at her… she was hanging on. Then, he looked at Sergiu who was howling with joy at the spectacle. There was no time to waste. Alucard took advantage of his omnipresent power now that Sergiu was busy laughing it up and entered the plane of reality that his two double selves existed.

He walked through that invisible door and faced his enemies head on.

Vlad came at him with a roar, swinging down his heavy medieval sword. Alucard dodged it, but Vlad was swift. Too swift. Even with all that armour encasing his muscular human form, the Impaling Prince managed to hold onto his weapon even after Alucard shot at his hand, destroying a few of his fingers.

Injured hand or not, Vlad swung his sword again and the steel sliced across the vampire's stomach.

Alucard began to bleed profusely.

It was an all out brawl, but Alucard's attacks were beginning to wound his opponents now that he was fighting them on the same level of reality. While Vlad swung at him mightily, the red Count unloaded more bullets into him before Alucard could even recover from the attack on his midsection. It left Alucard a tattered and torn figure of ripped clothing, exposed bone and gaping holes of missing flesh.

But the vampire king easily willed himself back into one piece, as if it never happened much to his opponents dismay.

All while this was happening, the vampire listened to Integra's heart and it was beginning to fade. An incredible amount of weight filled Alucard's being, something he had not felt in a long while. It was the crippling grip of fear. Alucard led his doubles out to the rooftops hoping to get out of Sergiu's sights so he could figure out a plan.

The copies followed in hot pursuit, their attacks were relentless and gave him no quarter.

The No Life King unloaded a whole magazine into Vlad's weak spots not covered by armour, but the guy would not go down so easily. In one last hurrah, Vlad swung his sword while the other Count double kept Alucard busy and the old Wallachian prince chopped the vampire's arm off at the elbow. Consecutively, his Count double morphed into a massive black shadow with both arms becoming huge hellhounds with multiple red-orange eyes and enormous salivating jaws full of razor sharp teeth. The shadow dogs launched at him and in one fell swoop… devoured Alucard whole.

* * *

**Meanwhile…**

A lumbering M1A3 Abrams tank, a sophisticated gift of technology from the U.S, a third generation model following the older M1A2 from ten years ago, rolled through the empty streets of what appeared to be a small community. Moderate houses varying in size—but mostly built with simple white siding and beige stucco accompanied by black rooftops—lined the plots along each side of the road. It was a decent looking neighbourhood, clean with newly paved streets. And it didn't help that a gigantic tank was rolling over them, cutting dents onto the surface. The residential development had a few side streets, some leading to cozy cul-de-sacs and other crescent-shaped streets weaved around the neighbourhood. There must have been about one hundred houses with cars parked on the driveway out front of them. The homes appeared ordinary with flower gardens, trees, and nice lawns. A few even had automatic water sprinklers running in a lame attempt to outdo their neighbour by keeping their grass the greenest.

The massive tank stopped on the south road in front of a four-way intersection along the quiet residential street. The top hatch opened and Seras's blonde head popped out of it. A gentle cool summer wind ruffled her hair and her crimson eyes widened at the sight of the blood moon up above. It was an eclipse. It was beautiful and majestic. Yet, she tore her gaze away from the moon and surveyed the scene behind her. There was a line of vehicles in her wake, The British Army and the Hellsing paramilitary. Their bulky armoured vehicles came to a stop behind her in succession, their brakes softly squealing to a halt, engines rumbling.

Around them nothing stirred, the crickets buzzed loudly and a sole streetlamp lit up the intersection. Up ahead, the road heading north would ultimately led them to Crawford Park manor.

"The place seems empty." Seras murmured to herself. "I can't sense a single person inside any of these houses. _Nothing._ Where did they all go?" None of the homes had on any lights, but perhaps the inhabitants were sleeping—it was the middle of night after all. Still, something about that did not feel right. Sleeping or not Seras's vampiric sense usually picked up those things. "There isn't anyone—"

She froze and stopped speaking suddenly.

Seras turned back around in the tank facing the north road leading to the manor. Something was approaching. It was far away and the military could not see it yet, but she could.

"Oh shit!" she cried and dropped back into the tank, closing the hatch quickly. She got on the radio. "Guys, there's a large group approaching us at 12 o'clock! About eighty yards, due north. Someone spark up the floodlights. I bet they came out of that Wolf's Lair of theirs."

Seras saw the thermal images of the property inside the Abrams tank, which was like a tiny command unit inside the close-quartered space, while flying down the highway earlier. From those images, she learned that there was a massive group of people congregated beneath the manor. Thanks to Alucard, who mentally shared with her moments ago, she knew this place was indeed the correct location where Integra was prisoner. No doubt, the mob approaching now came from the hidden sublevels underneath Crawford Park manor.

The impending group, made up of men and women, walked into the floodlight provided by the military ATV behind her. The wall of people continued to grow larger as they encompassed the light and moved forwards, like a horde of witch hunters. There had to be at least two hundred of them. At their sides, they held automatic rifles and handguns. And from the way they held these weapons, they knew how to use them. Some wore body armour and camouflage, balaclavas, night vision and black cargo pants. Others appeared no different from any other civilian you might pass on the street in hoodies and jeans, although Seras knew these people were not human.

They were hybrids.

That meant many of them were a lot more powerful than an average human was. It meant some of them had abilities like that of a vampire, their strength and skills varied, no two hybrids were the same and that made them even _more_ unpredictable.

Nevertheless, Sears Victoria came prepared, and so did the British Army. There was no limit of firepower at their disposal in the name of righting the wrongs done to Integra Hellsing. The British authorities had a no-holds barred kind of attitude right now, so even if they ordered an air strike or a missile launch, the options were there.

Said missiles and planes were ready for deployment upon command.

 _"I have a feeling the people living in these homes are connected to Sergiu and probably work for him,"_ Seras shared with her familiar. _"That's why they are empty. All these people are part of his criminal organization."_

 _"I don't like the looks of this, ma_ _chérie. I can smell the scent of desperation_ _, these people are cornered animals and cornered animals are the worst sort of animal to fight. They have nothing left to lose,"_ Pip shared inside Seras's mind.

 _"I know. It bothers me because I know deep down these people just want to live their lives. But people in a wrongful position of power are manipulating them. It's not fair."_ She claimed sadly.

_"Mais oui, your compassion always shines so brightly, Seras, but… everyone makes a choice how to live. They joined a criminal gang that has been hurting and using people for over a century. And that makes them criminals, too."_

With her amazing vampire eyesight and use of her third eye, Seras studied the approaching hybrids. Some were older and some young. Some had red eyes while many of them retained their human eye colour. Many of them wore a tattoo of the Evil Eye, mostly on their necks or the backs of their hands and fingers. In a way, it almost seemed unfair to her, that such a creature should exist… a creature blessed with both vampiric power and humanity. They could still do all the things a human could do, eat human food, bathe in the sunlight, produce offspring and grow old and die if they wanted. However, as she has come to learn, they also required blood to retain strength and cease aging, which meant killing people for it.

That made some of them evil monsters.

 _"It's not as unfair as you might think."_ Pip assured softly. _"At least you know what you are… they don't. Sounds like a nightmare to me, having the urges of a vampire and a human all in one. You know what people are like… differences set them apart, it scares them and they are ostracised for those differences. These creatures are a product of cruel, greedy vampires, victims of happenstance. We've seen it a hundred times over the years, you and me. Look at all those holy hunters and anti-occult groups swearing to rid the world of monsters and strange magic… all because of The Zeppelin Affair. It bred fear and insecurity into the hearts of man all over Great Britain and the world. Don't you understand? They don't live a normal life anymore than you or me or the neighbour down the street."_

 _What defines 'normal' anyways?_ Seras wondered to herself sarcastically. _"You're right and… you're wrong, Mr. Bernadotte. I believe some of these people had nowhere to turn and so they turned to the one person willing to give them a purpose. Being without purpose is such a lonely, empty feeling. I almost can't imagine what I would do with myself if I didn't have the Hellsing Organization and a purpose to destroy evil freaks bent on harming innocent people. I imagine they were willing to give up that loneliness no matter the cost."_

"Seras Victoria?" A strident voice came over the radio inside the tank. "What are your orders? Do we open fire?"

It was Commander Lister, head of the Hellsing troops.

"Let me speak to them first," she replied into her headset with an air of confidence. "They have not attacked yet. Perhaps they want to talk and bargain with us."

 _"Non! I don't think that's a good idea."_ Pip reproved. _"Don't open the hatch, love."_

Seras opened the hatch.

She studied the large group that was now thirty yards away. "Put down your weapons and we will not have to fight. We don't want to fight you people. Drop your weapons and surrender!"

The group voiced back angrily in a simultaneous cacophony of mistrust and disbelief.

"Liar! You're here to put a stop to our fight, vampire! You have no right to interfere!" One of them cried out.

The mob did not stop and continued to approach the British military. Some of them continued to holler…

"Your leader must set the example of why humans should not use vampires to do their bidding—she must die!"

"You should die, too!"

"Integra Hellsing is an abuser of occult magic! She's a witch!"

Seras was gnashing her teeth.

"Then you have no idea what it is like to have a human master that truly cares about you!" She shouted back at them angrily. "Your master is a mean criminal who has been killing innocent humans trying to frame Integra. He has been stealing money from the good people of England and their churches for over a century to fund his posh lifestyle and this coalition of hybrids— _you!_ The Crawford Gang has extorted, laundered money and has robbed innocent people for more years than you have been alive. Don't you understand that is all you really are… a bunch of people belonging to a criminal gang? Sergiu Medrea is a cruel, selfish man who enjoys causing others to suffer!"

" _Liar! Liar! Liar!_ " The group chanted repeatedly.

"Geez… just say what you really feel," the draculina mumbled under her breath.

 _"It's no use trying to convince them, Seras. Sergiu has been grooming these people for decades. It's pointless."_ Pip said to her sincerely. _"Let's just put an end to this and go meet up with Alucard and Integra, they might need our help."_

It was as if Pip's words unleashed a horrific prophecy for Seras suddenly felt the most gut-wrenching sensation gripping her insides. She realised, it was coming from her sire Alucard.

Then everyone heard it… the night filled by The No Life Kings' outpouring wail of misery. The wind seemed to carry his pain for miles. The bone-chilling cry filled every beating heart with fearsome dread. It stole their breaths from their bodies.

It came from the direction of Crawford Park.

 _"Dammit!"_ Seras cursed. "What the hell is happening over there?"

Desperately, Seras tried to contact Alucard telepathically but he was not responding. It was as if she could not even feel his bond. That was strange. The only time their connection cut off like this was when Alucard disappeared for thirty years. Yet, just as before, she felt it in her soul that he was still alive but… it was as if he was not of this world anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry Integra! Forgive me... I will make it up to you! I swear.
> 
> I know! Ack! Another cliffhanger! Once again this chapter was getting soo long, but everything falls into place in the next chapter! The climax. Will update again very soon. Stay tuned.
> 
> The Wolf's Lair is my way of paying homage to The Major and his Nazi Millennium regime. It is the actual name of one of Hitler's most famous bunkers during WWII in Poland. I really love writing about military and weapons, future or present, and tanks! Thank you Chuck! On a side note... I actually shook his hand, spoke and bowed for Prince Charles (because they actually send a letter to your house telling you the proper way to bow) once. I was commissioned to do a small oil painting for the Royal Regiment of Canada. And for it, I got be in attendance when Charles came to visit the troops because he's the Colonel-in-Chief of that brigade. It was just a small cap badge painting but because of that I will always have a special place in my heart for Chuck :3
> 
> Also, I thought it would be fun to have all of Alucard's forms be in one place at one time. I plotted really hard to make a plausible reason/way for that to happen : ) I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Next. Chapter 24 - Blood Moon. Seras and military are confronted by Alex and his gang of hybrids, while Alucard and Integra face an entirely different kind of demon.
> 
> Reviewers: Many thanks to all that are reading, following or kudo'ing the story! You make writing this that much better! *loves*


	24. Blood Moon

**Crawford Park, Kent County – August 21st, 3:13 a.m.**

Up ahead, in front of a parade of British armed forces and Hellsing paramilitary, a different face weaved through the mob of hybrids. It was a man dressed in a dark suit with slicked back hair, a neatly trimmed black goatee wearing a crafty smirk on his face. He came to stand directly in front of the half-breed army as if he were their leader.

"I suspect that my lord has succeeded in ending Integra Hellsing's life." The smartly dressed man told the military group with his polite English tone, standing before their bright headlights. "I recently arrived from a skirmish between my lord, Alucard and myself. I believe there is nothing the No Life King can do to stop her death, you see… Sergiu has tasted her blood, and judging by his outraged reaction, he has tasted Alucard's blood, too. Your precious human master has met her end and now you… shall _all_ meet yours."

Immediately Seras's radio began to jabber with questions from the military at her back.

Seras ignored them and stared at the tall man who just spoke in disbelief. "Then you don't know anything about my masters at all, you jerk. Stop spewing nonsense and let's do this. If you want to fight us so badly, then bring it on!" Seras dropped back into the tank loaned to her by King Charles himself, slamming the hatch shut. "I'm sitting in a can of your whoop-ass, buddy!"

She got on the radio. "All personnel fight at will. These fucking people sold their souls to the devil. Kick their hybrid teeth in and don't take names. _That's an order!_ Alucard and Integra need our help and are depending on us. You got that?"

The acknowledgment between the British anti-freak squad and Hellsing Organization went over loud and clear.

The draculina grinned nefariously and sat in the gunner's seat ready to obliterate these foul monsters, however… that grin left her face a second later. Her hands moved to the controls all by themselves and began to spin the turret, moving the barrel of the tank. Blinking in confusion, she found she could not stop herself from repositioning the big gun, which turned a clean one-eighty and now pointed directly at her comrades behind her.

The man in the dark suit in front of the mob of hybrids began to laugh exuberantly. His manic laughter rang through the neighbourhood around them.

"Argh! What the bloody hell is happening?" Seras squawked. "Guys, I'm not in control of myself. Get out of the way. Get out of your trucks! _Run! RUN NOW!_ " Her fingers curled around the joystick that controlled the turrets movements. Her thumb began to compress the button that would launch an explosive round loaded into the 120 millimetre smoothbore gun.

_BAM!_

The tank rocked as it fired, blasting through at least ten armoured trucks and two personnel carriers, creating an enormous explosion because of the extra ammunition and fuel inside the vehicles. It destroyed half of their transport and all of their backup equipment. Just like that. Gone.

Thankfully, some of the military all-terrain vehicles managed to get out of the way before Seras fired the devastating shot directly into her own troops! Most of the people in the armoured personnel carriers jumped out and ran before the tank blast blew them to smithereens.

The attack put many troops on foot with only their rifles in hand and the equipment carried on their person. The fight was on. It set everyone into motion, giving the hybrids an upper hand with the now disoriented armed forces. The hybrids charged and the military took cover around the houses and fired their guns. They would have to rely on hand-to-hand combat when they ran out of blessed silver bullets. And the few vehicles that did survive the tank shot drove around the massive tank securing the road further up so no hybrid could return to the manor.

" _Holy fuck!_ Holy fucking shit!" Seras screeched. "What did I just do?"

Another voice, one not belonging to Pip or Alucard, entered the nosferatu's mind. _"All you vampires underestimate my power to compel. I'm very good at it wouldn't you say? I tell you what I want you do to and you simply do it. I had your vampire master blow his own head off earlier—you should have seen the look on his face. What a riot!"_

Seras clenched her teeth as she stared at the well-dressed man through the viewfinder still standing on the road in front of the tank. With a grumble of fury, she climbed out of the vehicle from the hatch, bringing her Harkonnen along with her. Seras jumped off the front of the tank, landing firmly on her black-booted feet and onto the paved road.

Confronting the man face-to-face she said, "I won't allow you to do that to me again. I swear. _Gawd!_ Who are you? Who are these people?"

"My name is Alex, and I guess you could say, that I'm the next in charge after Sergiu," he answered rather proudly. "We are dhampirs, hybrids, if you will, that have sworn to wipe out all vampires. Your kind had no right to make us who we are— _no right!_ And because of that we have suffered a great injustice, an injustice that keeps on going as long as there are vampires. It's about time someone cleansed this planet of your kind—perhaps that's why we were created, perhaps _that_ is our purpose. The way I see it, it is simply the universe's way of correcting a wrong. And all this while," he continued disbelievingly, his expression changing into one of distaste. "Your crafty human master deceived us into believing you and Alucard were desiccated for good. _She_ was manipulating us. Grr! Eighty years. I have spent _eighty_ _years_ recruiting and training other hybrids who believe in our values, Sergiu and I. We won't just give that up so easily. Sergiu rescued me from a pit of despair. I owe him my life!"

All around them sounds of gunfire and fighting commenced between human and monster.

After listening to that, Seras wasn't sure she felt any pity for these individuals at all. "I fear you people are beyond being reasoned with. Why is it so difficult for everyone to just, get along? No matter the specie, there will _always_ be divergence. There will _always_ be cruel, malicious types that yearn to do evil on the world. And if you can't be one of those people that can't stop bringing pain to everyone, then I'm finished feeling sorry for you. All you want to do is cause harm and hurt people." Seras thrust her finger at him. "You know what? I don't care about all that right now. All I want to know is what have you people done to Integra?" she demanded hotly. "And where's Lilith? I've got a score to settle with her, too."

"You have a very meliorate way of thinking, but it's not that simple." Alex scoffed sullenly. "As I have already mentioned, by the sounds of your vampire master's distress, Sergiu succeeded in finishing Integra off. _Pfft!_ Alucard—that inflated arrogant prick! It is about damn time someone humbled him. Made him choke on that giant ego of his. Whether or not Sergiu can actually kill Alucard remains to be seen, but killing Integra is very possible while he controls their blood."

 _"Controls their blood?"_ Seras repeated wondrously and wracked her brains over how Sergiu might have gotten some of Alucard's blood in the first place. _Oh!_ She felt her ears grow hot as it dawned on her… Integra had consumed some of her master's vampire blood. What, when, why or _how_ … remained mysteriously unanswered. However, Seras had heard snippets of strange remarks between Alucard and Integra lately to garner an idea.

Seras felt heat from her ears spread over her cheeks.

Alex bragged to her. "Sergiu has telekinetic powers over blood like his sister, Lilith. They were born that way but this power amplified when he became a hybrid. He can control the information _within_ a person's blood… manipulating time and memories, even fears or dreams. He did that with you during your fight in St. George's cathedral. It's pretty twisted if you ask me. As for Lilith, well… let's just say Sergiu had a disagreement with her when she tried to _escape_ with Integra Hellsing. The Iscariot traitor is dead."

Seras inhaled a sharp breath of air. _"Dead…?"_

"Yes. Dead. Now then… where were we?" Alex reminded, tongue in cheek. "I'm going to finish you."

"Like hell you are!" And even as she hollered at him, Seras felt him try to control her mind again, but this time… she was prepared in her own special way. _"Pip, don't lower your guard for one second. His penetrative power is strong but we must resist it!"_ Seras said internally to her familiar and brought the enormous Harkonnen cannon into firing position in her hands.

 _"I can't believe I let that bastard get by me the first time. Je suis_ _désolé, my sweet_ _. He won't be so lucky this time."_ Pip Bernadotte promised and apologised to his beautiful girl. _"I'm already jealous that he was in your head speaking to you, I should have lit a cigarette and smoked him out. Pfft!"_

Seras smiled at Pip's envious streak and admonished. "No smoking allowed."

Pip merely laughed and urged. _"Go on, love. Blow this guy's fucking head off. We need to hurry to the main house!"_

 _"Yes!"_ Seras took aim and without a second thought, fired the Harkonnen at the spiffy-dressed hybrid named Alex. "Die asshole!"

Alex managed to dodge the shell that flew into a nearby house, destroying the front porch in a fiery blast, splintering the wood and shattering the glass. It set the nearby willow tree ablaze. He glanced back at the remarkable blonde vampire in her burgundy Hellsing military uniform with its short skirt and long stockings. This chick was not pissing around.

"How are you avoiding my mind control?" He demanded with a look of concern on his face. "Not even Lilith or Alucard could avoid it. What the hell!"

"That's none of your business, but I will say… that you're pretty fast for a lousy half-breed," she commended. Seras could not believe he managed to escape her shot.

 _"This guy might be a little more trouble than we thought,"_ Pip offered. _"Still, something in my gut is telling me we need to get to make this quick."_

 _"I know, you're right, Pip. I'll try and hurry up, but I have to deal with this Alex guy myself,"_ Seras rationalised. _"I can't leave him for the troops they might not be ready for this kind of foe. We'll lose too many men."_

Inside, close to her heart, Pip sighed. _"Of course, I knew you'd say something like that. Just promise me one thing?"_

 _"What's that?"_ Seras asked.

_"When this is all over, let's go on a date… a real date. No Alucard. No Integra. Just you, me, and the majestic stars above us. Oui?"_

Forgetting all about Alex and the battle around them, Seras smiled. " _Don't forget dancing and the wine."_

 _"_ _J'adore!_ _"_ Pip professed. Now he was the one that was blushing profusely.

Pip's warm presence merged with Seras's outer shell, her skin, keeping Alex's power safely blocked from her psyche. Seras giggled at Pip's romantic dribble. _"It's time I got serious."_

_"Go kick his ass, Seras."_

Alex wasn't sure what to make of the daunting female vampire standing there with a smoking cannon and a extraordinary grin on her face. It made him nervous and wary. "Hey! What the hell is going on? What's so funny?"

Seras set the cannon against the front of the tank and levelled her crimson eyes on the hybrid. She stared at him as if he were nothing more than prey. "I'm about to show you what's going on," she answered eerily, but with confidence.

Unseen by the half-breed, Seras moved so fast that he did not see her until she appeared right in front of him and smashed him in the sternum with her gloved fist. Alex spat blood and launched into the air, flying a few feet before landing on his back onto the pavement, whacking his head off the road and shredding the back of his fine suit.

He groaned.

He hadn't seen that coming, but it would take a lot more than that to shake him up. Still, a shot like that could kill a human male but he wasn't a simple human. Nimbly, he jumped up to his feet pushing himself off the road like an acrobat.

"I see… you wanna a good old-fashioned fight, eh? Well then… let's have it."

Seras gave him a dark smile. "It'll be my pleasure."

The hybrid looked both ways when Seras disappeared again and this time showed up behind him wrapping a strong arm around his throat in a headlock sort of move. Alex counteracted the move and tossed the tricky vampire. However, Seras's feet did not even hit the ground and she flew back at him like a bullet, throwing kicks and punches at him in rapid succession. Alex was fast enough to keep blocking her attacks and even managed to throw a couple of his own into the skirmish. His foot connected with her shoulder and a fist hit one of her booted feet as it swung by his face brushing by his nose.

"I see you've managed a way to block my power to compel. Your abilities are unlike any vampire I have ever met. Won't you tell me how you're doing it?" he wondered curiously, as they fought. "And where did you learn to fight like this?"

"Why would I share a secret like that with you? I'm your enemy, a vampire that has no right to live… remember?" She taunted him. "But, I can tell you how I learned to fight, though. I used to be a police officer and trained in the academy. And since I joined the Hellsing Organization, my skills never get rusty and I improved my abilities. Every once in a while I keep my skills sharp sending fuck-faces like you back to hell."

" _I'm_ the fuck-face? So you think it's alright that a human has control over you… that you be ordered around like a puppet?" He wondered.

"Integra _does not_ own me. She is Alucard's true master. He's the only one that cannot deny her orders. I can disobey if I wish, but I do not wish that. I agree with what the Hellsing Organization stands for. Integra is my master because _I_ choose her to be. She is also my best friend. Integra gave me a home and she has long become like family to me. I know she can be strict and seems uptight, but inside she has a warm heart. She is the strongest woman I know and I admire her for it. And I know that in her way… she loves me. I dunno if you can understand that but I won't ever give that up." Seras shared taking a breather. She stood before the hybrid in a fighting stance ready for his next strike.

"You're delusional… she doesn't love you or Alucard, she only uses you both as weapons. That's all you are—a weapon—not a daughter or a friend to a woman that abuses the laws of nature to create monsters like Alucard. People like her and her family need to be stopped. The way you talk about it… it's like you think you were still human or something." Alex responded and scoffed.

"No vampire ever forgets their human origins completely. And not all vampires are the same, you know," Seras reminded him. "We're not all heartless monsters… unless, that is— _you piss us off!_ " Her eyes blazed hotter and she pulled on the shadows surrounding them. They writhed around her body like moving tentacle whips. One of those shadow tentacles lashed out at Alex and cut him across his chin, "Don't you dare try to convince me that Integra doesn't care about me! I wouldn't be standing here right now if it wasn't for her."

Alex hissed and swiped at the cut on his chin, smearing blood all over the back of his hand. He looked frightened now. "And what are you going to do to me… drink my blood?"

"I don't want to drink your filthy hybrid blood," Seras admonished. "Don't flatter yourself." Alex began to back up and Seras took a few steps towards him with a spiteful cunning smile on her face. "You've made me angry, Alex. You've insulted me, my family, and you stink as a person. Now all I want… is to watch you die. _Pip!_ "

Seras held out both her arms that swathed in black shadow tentacles and out of the thick shadow, Pip's head, shoulders and arms appeared pointing an old-fashioned AK-47 at the hybrid.

 _"Bonne nuit,"_ he uttered pleasantly before firing a load of bullets into the half-breed's chest and heart.

Around them, a few hybrid soldiers screamed to see their leader savagely attacked by the hellish monster that was a mere girl a few moments ago. A few brave souls came running over. Pip returned inside of Seras and she easily sliced the group in half with blades of shadow. Many of them burst into blue flames and ashes.

She hacked and slashed at them until no more came to Alex's rescue. "Stay back!" Seras warned.

Alex was on the ground clutching at his middle. "W-what the hell are you? Who was that inside of you?" He asked her with trembling lips. Blood poured out between his fingers that he held to his chest. He lay on the ground almost in a fetal position.

"I'm just a creature trying to save the people that I love—that's all that I am. That person inside of me was once a human, an extraordinary man that gave his life for mine." Seras answered honestly, releasing the shadows around her. They disappeared like dust on the cool summer breeze. With boots crunching over the pavement, Seras walked up to Alex and looked down at him bleeding on the road.

A look of fear crossed the hybrid's face as she gazed at him with burning-red eyes for a moment.

Seras fished a handgun out from the back of her belt and pointed it straight at Alex's head with one arm extended. "Hrmph, I'm reminded of Megan Blackwood as I stand here pointing this gun at your head. It's because of you people that she had to die the way that she did—all those girls, Abby, Rosalie, Patricia, and of course, Juliet Morgan and all those innocent people at St. George's cathedral. All because you wanted to put an end to the Hellsing Organization and use my master as a tool for your sick games, your war against my kind. You are a fool if you think you could actually achieve such a thing."

"Please don't kill me!" pleaded Alex. "Please don't."

Without remorse, Seras shot him right between the eyes. "You're too late for that… you're _really_ too goddamn late."

Seras took a brief moment to observe the fight between the human soldiers and the hybrid soldiers… they were still hostile but the troops in her command were holding their own. Seras felt satisfied to leave them to it and hurry to the big house where her masters fought a different kind of battle.

She climbed back into the tank. Once inside, she heard someone frantically calling for her on the radio. Seras picked up the headset and slipped it on. "This is Seras Victoria. I hear you loud and clear, Major. What's your twenty?"

The pilot of one of the helicopters circling the property was requesting help as two people were firing at them from a clock tower at the main house. "Their using bazookas and automatic weapons… they already took out one chopper and the attack drone. Now they are shooting at one of the ATV's that's trying to get closer to the house. It's difficult to get near the place with them in that tower."

"Roger!" Seras responded. "I'm on my way."

Settled into the commander's seat she drove the tank down the winding country road, away from the residential area, towards the stately old mansion. Around her, the sides of the road were thick with trees and bushes until everything opened up to a massive rolling lawn and a house lit up like a castle in the middle of the night. Above them, the blood moon still stood like an ominous reminder of the violence that was taking place tonight, as if it were the result of an evil spell causing everyone to turn raving mad. Indeed, Seras could hear the whispers of death on the air. There was a foreboding feeling dwelling in her chest and she didn't know why. It gave her a chill that raced down her spine but she shook it off and studied the house. A few windows were lit up in the multi-story house but it didn't seem like anything was happening inside of it.

Just then, the helicopter she had conversed with flew over her but it would not approach the house. It circled back towards the residential area and the sound faded until it became muffled and far off. From here she could see the clock tower and zoomed in closely… there was indeed two people up there ready to shoot down whatever they could.

"That's where you come in handy, Big Ben," Seras told the mighty tank of which she so lovingly named, and has become fondly attached. "Let's go put a stop to those guys, shall we?"

The tank easily rolled over the lawn, crushing flowerbeds and flattening decorative shrubbery and fences. It smashed through a solid stone-like wall and neared the clock tower that had a non-functioning clock on its side. It was such an out-of-date design for a house but this was one of those fancy grand English homes, so it must have been all the rage back in the day.

Just then, a rain of bullets dinged off the armoured surface of the tank like hailstones. Then one of those tower guards fired a rocket at the tank, which shook it hard, but it only made a lot of noise and engulfed the tank in a burst of flame before it burnt out causing no damage.

The smoke cleared away.

There was no way a measly bazooka was going to take out a tank of this calibre. "You're amazing, Big Ben! I wonder if King Chuck will let me keep you after this. Imagine the look on Integra's face if they gave Hellsing a military tank?"

Eagerly, Seras loaded a new shell in the smoothbore gun, a nice explosive round that would surely put a stop to those pesky hybrid guards. Then she sat back down in the gunner's seat and raised the barrel of the gun, aiming for their protective tower and fired. _BAM!_

The clock tower exploded into a fireball of mortar and red brick. The bell inside the tower bonged deeply and disharmonious as the entire structure collapsed onto itself. Seras got back on the radio and declared her victory. "The clock tower has been destroyed and the guards inside dispatched. All available units are free to inspect and infiltrate Crawford manor, roger."

* * *

**Meanwhile…**

The hybrid gang leader had run to the damaged window to watch the fight.

Sergiu could not believe what he saw a moment before Alucard was eaten up by his count doubles' hellhound monstrosities. The old bat was fighting against them on the _same_ level.

His attacks were actually hitting them! _How the hell was that even possible?_

No one had ever been able to do that. Once he got a hold of a victim's blood, that was it for them, they fell at the mercy of Sergiu's control and died in whatever horrific way he saw fit. He saw the Vlad double succumbing to his gunshot wounds after he had chopped off Alucard's arm. After that, the demonic hellhounds devoured the real Alucard in one piece, swallowing him up like a giant snake.

Then everything came to a standstill. It was quiet.

The hybrid quickly dissipated the Count double and the dead Vlad double and all was hauntingly quiet. He could have re-summoned them but… Alucard was gone. Vanished into thin air. Still feeling paranoid, Sergiu surveyed around himself nervously, half-expecting Alucard to emerge behind him like a lingering poltergeist, but—

…nothing happened.

"HA!" Sergiu cheered incredulously. " _I did it!_ He's gone—devoured by his own fucking sorcery into the pits of everlasting hell." He was exuberant and laughed as if someone was tickling him. Sergiu cocked his head to the side, amazed to see that Integra had the tenacity to keep clinging onto life. Damn, she was a stubborn woman he would certainly give her that.

But it ended now.

He marched towards her. "You just don't know when to give it up, do you?" Sergiu sneered at the dying woman. He raised his booted foot, aiming to stomp on her skull like an ant.

"Not so fast, _worm!_ "

Sergiu froze. He lowered his foot and spun around. Alucard's voice echoed around him. _"Where are you?"_

"I'm right here."

It took a moment for Sergiu to realise that the voice was coming from inside his very _own_ mind!

"Never again will I allow you to lay your hands on her. _I will destroy you._ You are going to understand what it means to die a thousand deaths. Believe me, I would love to draw it out and make you beg for your death as I crush your spirit until there is nothing left but snivelling lump of meat, but thanks to you… I do not have that kind of choice while my master lies dying at your feet."

 _"What the fuck?"_ Sergiu exclaimed. "W-why won't you just _die_?"

A nefarious chuckle came in response. "You ignorant fool," Alucard said to him from somewhere deep inside Sergiu's conscience. "Don't you see that the manifestations you conjured out of my blood came from blood you ingested? It became a part of you. Then that manifestation devoured me. It granted me entrance inside your very own astral body and mind."

Sergiu turned about helplessly. "But _how_ can you do that? You're just a vampire—a _great_ vampire, a legend even, but still… only a vampire."

"I may be a vampire, but thirty years ago I became something _much_ more." Alucard began and explained. "When I drank the blood of the victims in London after the attack on them by those Nazi dogs, I inherited a new power. It took me thirty years to cleanse my soul and control that power. This is the first time I have used this power in such a way since I have returned and—"

Alucard paused for a moment.

Outside, somewhere close by, an enormous explosion rattled the entire house. It sounded like a tank firing against the Crawford mansion. There was a loud crash as some part of the building collapsed and the sound of a heavy iron bell tolling its final song. Alucard released a sinister twitter. He could feel that Seras was nearby.

The vampire continued. "With this new power… I can be _in_ the mind. I can see _your_ memories. I can see how much you cared about this Gage Crawford… a curious human that used your supernatural gifts for evil. He groomed you into something heinous—into something _much_ worse than you already were to begin with. You are not worthy to call yourself even half a vampire. I understand now your connection with the Evil Eye. And why it is you wear all those _nazars_ around your neck _._ Your adoptive mother was _Roma_ , a gypsy, a woman too good for a vile creature such as yourself. The unfortunate plight of humanity, empathy… she should have let the good doctor smother you under a pillow. Hmm… ah yes—I do enjoy these images of your birthplace. Looking at it gives me a peculiar feeling, a feeling of longing for something senescent."

The No Life King sounded almost whimsical.

Sergiu sniffed at the comments about his past and his mother. "What is this power you speak of?"

"The omnipresent power to be everywhere and nowhere… it's a conundrum that I haven't fully comprehended myself. I know that you were not aware of this power, and that is why your entire battle plan will fail. I commend you for your perseverance but your reasoning for everything that you have done is born of hatred and obsession. You even killed your own sister over it. You truly are a pathetic piece of shit, but— _enough of this prattling!_ " Alucard growled.

Two gunshots rang out inside of Sergiu's mind as if 120 decibels suddenly blasted out of a rock concert-sized speaker right between his ears, and bullets physically ripped out of him. They came out of him in random locations. One from Sergiu's side and another came out of his shoulder, his flesh and blood exploding out in red liquid bursts.

Alucard was shooting him front the inside out!

"Argh!" cried Sergiu, buckling with pain. He went down to his knees holding a hand over the bleeding wound at his side. "You are still underestimating my ability to control you! You may have embedded yourself within my astral realm but I can still control how you perceive time and space." He easily rewound the events in Alucard's mind and the gunshots never even took place.

Sergiu breathed out in relief and got back to his feet.

The effort merely resulted in Alucard repossessing his bullets, and this time he shot Sergiu six times just for good measure. Half a dozen bullets erupted out of Sergiu's midsection in a spray of crimson, his guts and innards torn to shreds, much to the dismay and terror of the hybrid that had to feel the pain. Before he could succumb to the brutal wounds, Sergiu simply returned everything back to normal.

Alucard cursed with frustration. This was like that Groundhog's Day movie where the guy keeps waking up and everything happens all over again, endlessly. "Stop this!" he demanded, thinking anxiously of Integra. "I don't have time for this. Give it up and die!"

"Like hell!" Sergiu spat. If he stopped now, then he would die for sure.

They both kept at it until someone appeared at the bedroom door. It was Lilith. The woman was almost unrecognisable, her face covered with oozing, bleeding wounds and torn skin, her clothing in tatters. Her once perfect red hair was all tangled and patchy like a toy doll caught in a house fire. She was missing chunks of scalp and hair. She resembled a walking corpse. Yet, she managed to make her way up the stairs and into her brother's bedroom. She got a look at her brother standing near a wounded Integra who lay on the floor impaled by a metal rod.

Lilith could not tell if the woman was dead or not, for she was not moving. Her brother, on the other hand, was struggling against an unseen assailant as parts of his body blew up as if small landmines were detonating beneath his skin. And she knew… she knew it had something to do with that heathen, Alucard. What she didn't understand, was how he was here now, but she imagined it had something to do with Integra Hellsing. How stupid they were to underestimate such a gallant woman.

She would have smiled if it weren't too painful.

Lilith's regenerative paladin powers were beyond the kind of physical damage she had taken from Sergiu's attack. There was no way she could bounce back from this but… she would not let this continue. Her sheer will was a gift from God. Her mentor, Father Anderson, would be proud of her for what she was about to do. She knew she could help end this.

"Sergiu," she garbled. Even her voice sounded hoarse and raw.

Her brother spun around and gaped at her in disbelief, his hazel eyes went round and wide. "Lilith! You're alive! _Please…"_ The half-breed began to beg. "… _help me._ Get this fucking monster out of me!"

He sounded delirious.

"You know I can't do that," she responded shuffling further into the room. The battered ex-Iscariot stopped and placed a hand against the fireplace mantle to keep from falling over. "But I can stop this."

"Yes, _stop this_. Do whatever you have to! I'm sorry for what I did to you. I swear! I was just angry. I was stupid. I thought we were family. You are my only hope, Lilith. _I'm sorry!_ " Sergiu wailed as the side of his neck exploded and just as quickly, he spun back the event. His neck returned to normal but his sanity was hanging on by less than a thread.

"No… I'm the one that's sorry, Sergiu. I'm sorry I ever let you talk me into this. I'm sorry that I ever called you… _my brother_. All that I can hope for now is to atone for my sins and pray for God's forgiveness. I am a servant of God and it's my duty to assassinate heretics like you." She began to recite a passage from the Bible.

 _"_ _Father, not by my might, but by Your Holy Spirit I will engage with and defeat these demons once and for all!_ _"_

"Wait!" Sergiu reproved with alarm. "What are you doing?"

Lilith did not answer and continued to whisper verses under her breath. She held out both hands with her palms facing up and two long red spikes, made up of her blood, shot out of her wrists like deadly needle-like spears a good four feet… and pierced right through Sergiu's heart.

The hybrid looked down at his chest completely astonished, and in that instance, Alucard unloaded every bullet he had out of Sergiu's body, pulverizing him. The hybrid could not reverse this, it was too late, his heart stopped. His eyes rolled back in his head. And in a raging burst of anguish, Sergiu burned up into blue ashes until there was nothing left but the scars he left behind.

Seras flew into the bedroom just in time to catch Lilith before she collapsed onto the floor, but the ex-Iscariot was already dead. The woman had used every ounce of blood she had left inside of her to kill her deranged brother.

Alucard materialised in the room in his standard Count form and immediately rushed to Integra's side.

The vampire slipped to his knees next to her, the mantle of his old-fashioned coat fanned out around him like a big red cape. His beloved master. His darling Integra. She wasn't moving as she lay on her side, her good eye closed and the eye patch shifted in the fray, revealing that partially re-grown eye that never fully healed. Her glasses lay strewn above her head where they fell when she fell. Her warm caramel colour was now ashen and her gold mane stringy, matted, and stuck to her face and neck with blood. Her facial expression was one of stiff agony. And spread out around her, like an overturned can of glossy dark red paint, was a wet pool of her life. Her blood, oozing from the gaping wound in her stomach, the metal fire-poker protruding out of her as if she were a felled animal… a hunter's prized catch.

Alucard hung his head of raven hair miserably in defeat. "Integra, how… I have failed you." The words trembled from his lips.

"Master!" Seras shrieked. She set Lilith down gently to the floor and hurried to Alucard's side. "What are you doing? Integra's heart is still beating. If you're going save her—you must do it _now_. If you don't, we'll lose her forever!"

Her heart. Yes. He knew. It was still beating, but weakly. Hellsing's were fighters. Integra was fighting, clinging to her life, unwilling to die quickly. Yet, that's not what stopped him from claiming her as his. There was a different monster more powerful than he was, more malevolent and ruthless, with not even a modicum of remorse in its entire existence. Perhaps… it did not exist at all, but it afflicted everyone.

It was forever.

Forever—the forbidden—the cloaked enemy guised like false hope. It was a powerful adversary, that even he could not slay, Alucard thought with dismal recognition.

Forever was time…

And time can destroy the strongest, wipe out entire nations. Forever did not care what rank or class you came, it would still conquer and squash you like a puny insignificant bug. Forever was a chord, playing over and over before moving on to the next harmony, however it chooses. It was enough to drive any creature crazy with it numbing continuance. It kept you prisoner with no hope for parole. And after nearly six centuries, sometimes Alucard thought he knew what forever was for he'd overcome, and indulged, in many a madness.

A selfish part of him knew to endure it alone for another six hundred years…

 _No!_ He could not bear to acknowledge it. Alucard would not even _dare_ to think it.

Without her, the madness would surely return. He would cease to exist.

"Change her without her consent. Is that what it means to save her—to chain her to this unlife?" He voiced to Seras, the question brimming with sarcasm and loathing. "To risk being the target of her revulsion for cursing her to this… _this damnation_? I don't know if I can bear such a burden."

His suffering emerged and lay bare at his master's feet. The vampire began to weep.

Bloody tears of torment streamed down Alucard's miserable face. He pressed his head into his gloved hands, fingers savagely grasping the front of his hair, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes. And he sobbed without care, his normally brusque tone as vulnerable sounding as a child's. "To have her walk in the darkness with me because of my own covetous whims…? Oh, how I want it, Seras. _I want it more than_ _anything!_ Can I really subject her to a sentence of eternal sin?"

Alucard was unable to count the number of times he outright asked Integra to become his queen, his No Life Queen. It almost became an inside joke between her and him. Now here it was. The time to make a choice, and yet… he was wracked by moral indecision.

"It isn't sinful or selfish because I know that she loves you, Master. Integra would never spend an eternity mad at you. Stop over thinking it like that. Please, you _must_ hurry!" Seras pleaded desperately.

Even if that were true and deep down in his undead heart, he knew it to be true, he still wasn't sure it was what Integra would really want. She wasn't awake to tell him, to make that choice. It did not seem fair that the only way to keep her was to curse her with this bloodlust, to turn her into a monster for surely she would become one. He did not doubt that she would become a magnificent creature worthy of being his Queen, but if she should hate him for all eternity for turning her into a creature of the night… what then? What would be the point? Her happiness and welfare was more important than his petty selfish desires.

And then… Integra moaned and stirred.

Alucard's excruciating sounds of misery halted, he looked up sharply from his bloodstained gloves in sheer disbelief. Integra was looking right at him. Darkened by pain, the normally crystalline blue of right her eye was dull as her life slowly waned.

He gazed at her stunned.

With much effort, she brought a hand that had been resting on her side up to his face, touching his cheek gingerly, doing to him what he had done to her earlier—she wiped away his bloody tear with her thumb. Integra cringed a little and said in scratchy whispers, barely able to speak from her bruised and injured throat. "Why are you crying, vampire? It's not like you."

Alucard blinked from the sheer incredulousness of her question. "Surely you needn't ask when my entire world is falling apart before me."

Integra's hand fell from his face, landing in the pool of her own blood. She closed her eye. "You fool…"

Alucard scoffed. "Forgive this fool… but not all monsters are children crying out for death, you know. I'm sorry I eavesdropped—I never forgot that particular thought of yours. Arthur was a wise man but he only had it half right."

Unsure if his universe was about yet to shatter, Alucard saw no better time to share these thoughts.

"I will not disagree, that at one time death was my true desire, before I ended Father Anderson's life, before I accepted my immortality… death was to be my only salvation and freedom from this cursed life. However, during those thirty years, while I fought my internal war, I realised I truly desired one thing above all else… _you_ , my master. All this time— _you_ —have been my salvation. You reminded me what it is to feel, what it means to love and that is why I shed these tears. Losing you means the death of me. I cannot bear to go on without you. I wouldn't want to."

"Alucard…" Integra murmured softly.

The vampire king gritted his teeth so hard they crackled. "I love you more than a servant has a right to love its master." He hissed out furiously and growled, _"I deserve nothing!"_

Integra's eye opened once more, she studied him intently for a moment before it narrowed with pain and she moaned breathlessly. She took a few staggering breaths and questioned, "Is this truly my end?"

"You are dying." Alucard replied bluntly. "There isn't much time."

"Did you destroy that hybrid—their army?"

"Sergiu's dead. Lilith sacrificed herself in order to help me kill him. He proved to be an unexpected challenge. I believe Seras and the military have dealt with their horde."

"Good. Where is Seras?" Integra asked delicately.

Seras stood nearby watching both her masters with unveiled gloom. Her own bloody tears dripped off her chin in a free-flowing torrent of sadness. "I'm here, Sir Integra," she said over her sniffles. "I'm begging Master to save you… _but he's not!_ Please consent. It has to be of your own free will."

Integra could not help but scoff at that— _has it really come to this?_ —and paid the price with excruciating pain for it. It took her a moment to gather strength to speak. "Sounds like that mulish old vampire, all right. The times he decides to have a moral conscious."

She smiled gently and closed her good eye again, releasing a deep breath.

"Sir Integra!" Seras screeched with despair.

The hand that Integra used to touch Alucard's cheek rose from the slick, bloodied floor, and wrested into his thick black hair, clinging to it like a rope. With whatever strength she had left, Integra tugged at him to come closer. And when he did, she breathed into Alucard's ear, "When did you become so real?"

Bewildered, he questioned. "What do you mean?" Alucard did not understand her implication. "I am nothing more than a pathetic coward, too weak to face my own mortal end. I do not want that for you. I don't want you to feel the regrets I had to confront for such a long time."

"That's not true… not anymore. It is me that has been the coward."

"What are you saying?" Alucard implored but she would not answer. "Tell me what you mean by that. You know the choice must be yours. _Integra…!_ " He pressed knuckled hands against the floor and breathed deeply, resting his cheek against hers desperately like a loving pet. "Don't leave me…"

Seras was whimpering loudly.

Speaking barely above a whisper, Integra's lips once again brushed softly against the vampire's ear. "Then don't let me leave…" she replied and with a staggering sigh of discomfort, she lifted her chin. Arching her head back a little, presenting her throat.

The message was loud and clear but he was still awestruck. Alucard raised his head up and glanced over at Seras thoughtfully for a moment.

"Why are you looking at me? Stop making her wait, you imbecile!" Seras reproved, aghast. "Geesh, I'll turn around if that makes you feel better."

Alucard blinked for a moment. Seras's heated remark snapped him out of his tentative trance and he was thankful that she was here to put him back on the rails. Alucard began to chuckle deeply as his fledgling actually turned around. Then, he glanced back down at Integra. _His Integra._ She was offering herself.

She had made her choice.

"There's no need for that," he told Seras, gently.

Dying of curiosity, Seras tentatively turned a little and peeked. Alucard was removing his gloves and placing them inside his coat, and then, he delicately brushed a few sticky strands of Integra's silky blonde hair from her neck, cradling the other side of her head in his hand. He leaned down, nuzzling against Integra's throat with his nose and lips. He kissed the column of her neck gently and Seras found herself holding her breath.

There was no time to waste. Alucard opened his salivating mouth wide, and without further vacillation, sank his fangs into Integra's tender flesh.

He responded with a deep, cavernous moan. Integra's warm blood pulsed into his mouth. It came at a slower pace because of her weakening heart, but it came, and it was as perfect as he imagined it would be if savoured like this. The potency of her life and the sweetness of her blood made him ache; it made him throb, as always. The whole of her existence was becoming a part of him, a part of his soul. Not for a second did he slow down, drawing the blood out of her hungrily. The great vampire sucked up every drop that had spilled out of her body and all over Sergiu's mansion floor, wasting nothing.

Alucard devoured her.

And when her heart nearly stopped beating, her body drained and within a short breadth of life, he withdrew and bit into his wrist. A fountain of blood rose from his veins and he brought his wrist to Integra's lips, offering his cursed blood to her in a ritual he had not performed in a _very_ long time.

A reverential union.

A blood marriage.

"Be my true equal, Integra… drink the blood from my veins," he petitioned. "Let our blood unite us for all eternity."

For an instant, he entertained the notion that she would refuse him this request, but when her mouth filled with his blood… she swallowed. He let out a pensive breath. The more she swallowed the more desperately she drank it. Before long, she was grasping his wrist, sucking hard from him. It was a welcoming kind of pain in his opinion.

He retracted his bleeding wrist from her mouth.

Her courage and sheer willpower was an amazing sight to witness. Yet, she would have to endure one more bout of pain tonight. Already, his cursed blood was healing the wound in her midsection, a low hiss and visible curls of steam sizzling around the injury. The metal rod had to come out. It would be more uncomfortable if he pulled it out from behind, so Alucard grabbed the pointy end of it in front and slowly removed it from her body.

Integra gnashed her teeth together and gasped, breathing heavily as Alucard removed the fire poker and dropped it to the floor with a clang nearby.

Once more, he allowed her to drink from his wrist, assuring that the wound she suffered from closed up and the last of her mortal pain eased. With a lop-sided smirk—wondering if she would attempt to drink him dry—he yanked his wrist free from her vice-like clutch.

Integra scowled as he drew away. Her pain was in a blissful state of egression. "More…"

The vampire admired her with her lips painted crimson with his blood, a drop of it meandering along her cheek to her ear. It was so beautiful, this moment, an amative treat.

"You want more, my dear?" he murmured with delight. "Splendid. I have just the thing before you enter a metamorphic sleep." He did not flinch as he pierced his tongue with one of his fangs, just enough to make it bleed a little. Then he leaned in close again and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her with unbound passion.

Integra opened up for him, tasting him, sighing faintly as he kissed her. It was the most sinful, most beautiful kiss they ever shared together.

Seras's face burned hot as she watched Alucard bent over Integra kissing her like a lover, sharing his blood with her so intimately. _Wow, is that how he does it?_ _Why… you perverted old bat!_

 _"Ooh-la-la..."_ Pip chimed in. " _Alucard was not kidding… he turns that Love Beam thing on full throttle when he makes a new vampire. Say…"_ A jealous thought entered the ex-mercenary's mind. _"Monsieur Romance here didn't kiss_ you _that way too when he made you into a vampire, did he?"_

 _"I… I don't remember,"_ Seras replied thinking back to that night, which was really foggy in her mind _."I don't think so. I think they're just being pervy right now… caught up in the moment. I mean… Integra chose Master."_ Seras giggled as she watched them kissing. _"It's like we're not even here or something."_ Not that she could blame them. _"Gosh! I can't believe it. Integra is going to be one of us!"_

And just like that, Integra became unresponsive and Alucard pulled away from her.

Seras bit her lip. "What's happening?"

"Her heart has stopped, but she is far from dead. Well, at least, not yet," Alucard mused, his eyes twinkling with blitheness. "Now she will rest while her human body dies and transforms… a sleep that will render her eternal. Come—let's leave this place and return to the Hellsing manor at once."

"Yes, sir!" Seras replied.

* * *

 

Outside in the small residential neighbourhood the British and Hellsing armed forces slaughtered the last of the hybrids. After Seras left for the main house, two other people had come to join the fight.

Iscariots Bishop Makube and Heinkel Wolfe slipped their guns back into their robes.

Commander Lister of the Hellsing Organization was speaking to them when he suddenly noticed two people approaching. "Look. It's Alucard and Seras," he disclosed.

Makube and Heinkel glanced down the road and saw the two vampires walk under the light of the streetlamp, headed towards them. In Alucard's arms, he carried Integra covered up with his long red coat. As they got closer, the priests could see that Integra was unconscious and that she had clearly been through hell. Her hair was tangled and her bare feet looked cut up.

"We need a medic over here!" Commander Lister hollered straight away.

Alucard shook his head. "No—she stays with me. _I'll_ be taking care of her," he insisted gruffly. "She'll be fine. We're going home."

"Ahh… I-I guess," stammered the military officer with confusion and waved the approaching medics away. The two medical officers looked uncertainly at each other. "Well we've pretty much finished around here." Commander Lister said and looked over at Seras. "What are your orders, Miss Victoria?"

"Hold on," Bishop Makube interrupted. "Where's our paladin, Lilith? No one seems to know _anything_ and we're not leaving until someone provides an answer."

Heinkel Wolfe glared at the unconscious Hellsing director that Alucard carried suspiciously and then she turned that glare on Seras.

Seras returned the dirty look at the mangy looking Iscariot and replied, "Lilith is dead. She died in order to stop Sergiu Medrea, her brother."

" _Dead?_ " squawked the bishop.

"She gave her life honourably—impaled her brother with her _own_ blood." Alucard offered incredulously. "Trust me, after what horrors she went through she still had the mettle to end it. There is _no doubt_ in my mind that she was Anderson's student. She had a way about her that reminded me strongly of that Judas Priest bastard," he said rather fondly.

"Then it's done. Come on, let's go collect ver body and leave vis wretched country already," Heinkel advised.

Bishop Makube closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "Yes… perhaps you're right. It appears nothing more can be done."

"Oh and while you're there," Seras began amiably, "You might want to torch the place. I'd feel better about that if you did."

"Sure… vatever," Heinkel muttered under her breath. She wandered off grumbling.

The draculina turned to Alucard. "You take Integra home. I'll be there shortly after I organise everything here, alright?" She informed.

"We'll be waiting for you." With that, the vampire king vanished.

Seras took a moment to glance up at the moon that was no longer red, but white and bright and full of hope. The eclipse was over—the blood on the moon was gone.

"I'll be home soon." She said and smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In all honesty... I wrote this entire story for this one moment, this pinnacle moment, where Integra joins Alucard… when Alucard finally bites her. This is what drove me... my love for these two characters and my need to give them everlasting love. I was so full of anticipation to write this scene, that I actually wrote it out way ahead of the rest of the story XD! And I didn't want an easy way out for Integra or Alucard in my quest to imagine a story worthy of this transformation-in that sense I'm masochist lol! I had NO idea that this story would be soo big. Phew. In my heart, I believe Integra has sacrificed enough to selfishly have her cake and eat it too… a love she has been denied because of duty etc. Ultimately, this story about about her re-birth.
> 
> As well, I wanted to turn the tables and have Alucard be the one that says, 'Don't leave me…' just as Integra did when Alucard first disappeared thirty years ago. I believe, when it comes down to their barest feelings that this is how they both feel…
> 
> Note about vampire making in Hellsing. Hellsing never said that Alucard shared his blood with Seras or that other vampires did anything of the kind. Integra mentions that virgins of the opposite sex bitten by vampires turn into vampires and those that are not virgins turn into ghouls. I left it up to you to decide if Alucard gave Seras his blood or not. I personally think he shared his blood with her, but that is just my opinion. And I prefer the Dracula method, especially with Mina. And I wanted Alucard to share his blood with Integra making a connection between them. In this fic, I have Alucard calling it a union… like a marriage. His bride. *snerk* So Integra did not have to drink his blood to become a vampire since she had already been bitten… she chose to. She chose Alucard as her mate.
> 
> So, what is to become of the Hellsing Organization now? You have all dealt with all the violence and sadness for what seems like forever (trust me it was depressing writing all that sad/horrible shit for what seemed like forever lol!)... but that sadness is over. Time to rejoice and enjoy the conclusion. I have three more chapters to show you and one bonus chapter! Stay tuned.
> 
> Next. Chapter 25 - The Opening of Integra Hellsing - Part 1. Alucard dotes on his new bride and Integra is greeted by a familiar old face before she wakes up.
> 
> Many many thanks to all readers, kudos people and reviewers! Weeee! You are the best! :)


	25. The Opening of Integra Hellsing - Part 1

**Hellsing Manor – August 21st, 5:57 a.m.**

Once when Integra was a little girl, she came down with a terrible fever and Alucard sat dutifully at the edge of her bed, dabbing her forehead with a cold wet towel. Walter insisted that if he wished to act as nursemaid, _'You mustn't leave her side for anything, are we clear, Alucard?'_ The butler went on to explain that high temperatures could do damage to the delicate human brain. True to his word, the vampire did not leave her side once that night. His master slept fitfully and moaned occasionally from sickness but by morning, the fever broke and all was well.

Alucard was fondly reminiscent of that particular night as he leaned over the side of the bathtub with his shirt sleeves rolled up, efficaciously cleaning Integra's face with a warm wet washcloth. Doing what any loving husband would do for his beloved in her arduous time of need.

After all, she was his new-fangled bride, his last bride, his wife, his Countess— _his Queen_ —in the name of all ethereal, otherworldly unions.

The blood of angels, demons and all of creation bound them together. Their own blood bound them together.

And Alucard's heart swelled with something precious, with something he'd nearly forgotten, something dearer than he believed he had a right to possess.

In sickness and health, it was not a concept solely designed for mortals.

He braced her partially submerged in the tub half-full with water with one arm, washing all traces of the night's nightmare away from her body with the other. Hellsing manor was a somnolent fortress, Judy was asleep by the time he returned and Seras was tying up loose ends with the troops. There was no one else to tend to his mistress so the duty fell upon his shoulders.

It wouldn't have mattered either way. He would not have let anyone within ten feet of her. He owed her this much for being such a stubborn fool. This transformation may have come a lot smoother and with less pain if he had only listened.

Yet, she had chosen him. His fair lady made her choice.

 _Perhaps there is a God and he heard me._ Alucard thought and mouthed the word. _Amen._

Integra released the sweetest murmur and Alucard could not hold back a crooked smile as he gazed down at her. He felt a stirring of pride, perhaps a little smugness, too. The vampire's spell had fully restored Integra's damaged left eye and closed all of her wounds. Behind her eyelids, above the sweep of her blonde lashes resting on the crests of her cheeks, there was rapid eye movement.

No, this fitful sleep had nothing to do with any common childhood fevers. Just as she did as a child, he knew she would wake up soon and all would be well.

"Hmm, I wonder what strabismus visions you see as you shed your human flesh. Whatever they are do not be frightened, my love—although, I highly doubt I need to tell _you_ that." Alucard chuckled knowing how valiant his lady knight could be. Still, he knew the transition could be an arduous ride. Dying was painful. Being reborn was painful. "I am curious but I will not invade your thoughts. No," he softly assured. "Not tonight. Tonight is sacred for you, your rite of passage—even if it is a little painful. It won't last, I promise. It's the night of your re-birth and that darkness belongs to you and you alone, once you embrace it, you will rise."

Water trickled into the bathtub echoing pleasantly around the big quiet bathroom as he rinsed her hair that swirled around her shoulders like live eels. He noticed that it had already lost all signs of silver that mixed with her blonde strands. Once more Integra's vibrant platinum locks weaved through his fingers. He purred with delight. Integra's body was already beginning to flourish with unlife. The signs of human decay were diminishing rapidly.

"You see, I told you that age was inconsequential when one becomes a vampire. Yes. You will always be fifty-two but you will not _feel_ like fifty-two. Your worries were for naught," he shared and squeezed the water from her hair gently. "Just wait until you learn to transform your body… then, you can be _anything_. We'll sail the night skies together. I will show you everything."

He had a warm gleam in his eye, "My lovely creature."

Once every nuance of dirt, blood and humiliation that Sergiu Medrea caused for Integra was gone, Alucard lifted her from the bathtub and took her to her bed. He dried her off, dressed her in her favourite nightshirt and placed her under the covers.

"Now rest peacefully, my dear."

Alucard wandered over to the tall windows lining the east wall of the room. The dawn was approaching as a pink wave across the sky, a beautiful but most unfriendly tide. It was coming fast. The sun. Hidden behind the precipice of the horizon, it would rise at any moment, spilling its blistering rays across the earth and into the hearts of vampires that dare face it.

 _He_ was not worried about it. Alucard no longer scorched under the rays of the sun for he had grown too strong for that to be a weakness, but such was not the case for new vampires. Direct sunlight could truly smolder the tender young flesh of a newborn vampire, a painful experience indeed if not rectified quickly. Until Integra grew stronger, until she herself became a true vampire, she would have to practice safe sun and remain in the shade during the day. That's if she could keep her eyes open during the day.

Being awake during the day was taxing enough, even for him, but it would be a greater hindrance for her at this stage.

The door to the bedroom cracked open slowly and Seras wandered into the room.

"I'm back. Is she awake—" _Yet?_ The draculina finished the question silently in her head when she noticed Integra was still sleeping. She wandered next to her bed and examined Integra with childlike curiosity. Seras beamed. This moment to her was monumental and she couldn't believe it was happening. Then she glanced over at Alucard who was busy shutting all the curtains in the bedroom.

Just as a beam of sunlight stole its way into the room, the older nosferatu swept the last panel shut, cutting it off. "It might take a little longer yet. The day is breaking and it will slow down the process. My guess is she won't wake until sunset," he presumed, turning around to face his fledgling.

Seras eyed Alucard thoughtfully. There was certainly something different about her Master's aura. He was calmer than she had ever seen him. And happy. Truly happy. Like an expectant husband, waiting for his blushing bride to join him at the altar. She noticed he'd also rid himself of his gloves, his long red coat and black suit jacket, standing there in his white dress shirt, sleeves rolled up, dark pants and his tall riding boots. Clearly, he'd been busy tending to Integra and it made him look so… so perfectly domestic.

Seras twittered to herself.

"Sunset?" She replied with a sigh. "But it's only morning now. I guess it must take longer than I thought. I have no idea how long I slept really before I woke up."

"I know it didn't seem like it, but you were asleep for a while, too. Let's be patient."

What choice did she have? "Well, I've taken care of the troops. I gave most of them some leave time but Gregory Penwood and Robert Walsh have been leaving me _tons_ of messages. They are getting impatient. They want to know why we brought Integra back here instead of the hospital. What do I tell them?"

Alucard seemed unconcerned, but since Integra was unable to deal with business matters, Seras and he would have to handle the Hellsing Organization for one day, at least. "Tell them she is fine and resting and that she's recuperating. They will find out the truth all in good time. How Integra wishes to deal with her fellow Knights is up to her. Personally, I deem them a useless group of miscreants. They do not _deserve_ a woman like Integra within their ranks. However… that is not my decision to make. Nor will it ever be."

"I know, Master. They screwed up _big time_ , but… they did redeem themselves in the end." Seras reminded him.

The vampire king merely grunted in response.

"If you need to get some rest, I'll watch over her for a while if you like. I don't mind."

Alucard walked over to an empty chair draped with his red coat and black suit jacket and brought it over, setting it on the left side of Integra's bed. "Sleep is the furthest thing from my mind, Seras. Leaving her side now would simply burden my heart. No, I must stay right here until she rises from the ashes."

Seras could not contain a girlish squeal. " _Who_ _are you?_ And what have you done with my grumpy Master?" she teased.

Instead of receiving an angry scowl or a glare, Alucard scoffed with amusement.

"Well, if you're going to stay, then so am I." Seras informed him stubbornly. "But… I am _so_ hungry. Oh! I have the best idea. How about I go grab us a snack and I will come right back and join you. Sound good?"

Alucard's attention was piqued at the mention of food. "Warm…?"

Seras made a goofy face. "Of course… silly. Thirty-seven-Celsius-warm."

"Then bring three, but don't warm the third one." Alucard politely requested.

* * *

Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing stood before a door.

It was a mysterious door coated with chipped black paint and a long brass handle. Its ominous presence had significant meaning. She was sure of it. Although, she could not understand what it was. And a part of her knew that once she crossed its threshold, there was no going back.

However, going back to what she did not know.

There were no clues about what lie on the other side for all around her was nothing but a cosmic blackness, an empty realm of void and nothingness. Perhaps the door was a portal. As if beyond it, a truth would be unveiled to her. Well, when push comes to shove—Integra shoved the door open.

A merry jingle announced her arrival.

She stepped inside a pub. The sort of establishment one might wander into to watch a football match or share a pint with friends after a hard day's work. The rustic looking place came with a long wooden bar, worn and scratched with character, inviting a newcomer to take a seat at its edge and order a drink, lament their woes for a while. Behind the bar was a series of shelves containing colourful bottles of liquor and along the counter, numerous lagers on tap. The rest of the joint was dark and full of shady corners. Its meagre yellow light came from the dusty orange lamps that hung over each table by a thin black cord.

Her arrival prompted a room full of faceless individuals seated at the tables to turn and swiftly stare at her. They appeared to be wearing funeral clothes, black suits and shiny shoes, black dresses, pearl necklaces and fancy hats. Yet, their faces remained blurry.

Nobody moved. Nobody spoke.

It was as if her arrival had ceased all activity, including the musician on the small stage at the end of the bar. Lights shone down on a dynamic looking man with sharp features, short, stylish blonde hair swept dramatically to one side, sitting on a barstool holding an acoustic guitar. He was dressed real posh, in a silver grey blazer with a white-collared shirt left open at the neck. His unknotted black silk tie hung around the shirt collar like an untied scarf. He wore black sneakers with white soles and propped one foot up on the bottom rung of his seat. It was as if he walked out of the flashy 1980's.

He said to her with a polite English accent, his tone friendly and his expression charming. "How about you take a seat, love, and I'll play you a little number." He strummed the beige guitar resting across his dark trousers, hand sliding skillfully along the neck, fingering over the frets.

Integra mused carefully, "And just who the _hell_ might you be?"

"I know I'm not as young as I used to be… are you sure you don't recognise me? I'm a musician _and_ an actor." He told her with a clever smirk.

Integra studied him impatiently. She was not in the mood for foolish games and quizzes. Besides, her knowledge of popular musicians or film stars was deplorable at best. "I know I've seen your face before but I don't really follow all that pomp…" Then her face lit up slightly with recognition. "Oh, of course… you're David Bowie."

"At your service..." The performer gave her a charismatic smile and laughed at her dumbfounded expression. "For a moment there you had me worried."

"Well then, perhaps you can tell me who these people are?" Integra inquired curiously. Around her, the blurry-faced people still gazed at her with their eerie anonymous silence. Their presence was unnerving and she could feel their gaze boring into her even if she couldn't see their face.

"I suspect they are here to mourn you, Integra. That's what folks do when you die… they gather and mourn for those that they have lost. They play music. They tell stories about you. They share a few drinks." He told her and continued to strum a tune softly on his guitar.

" _I'm dead…?_ Is this a dream?" Integra seemed unable to admit the truth just yet. "Look, no offense but _how_ can you be here? It's ridiculous. What is this place? I demand some answers!" she snapped impatiently.

"I believe this is what you call your inner universe, Integra, the realm of your soul... everybody has one. It's a nice place to chill out and escape for a while, so don't panic. I admit, I dig the quaint pub scene. It's intimate and cozy and I haven't played on a stage like this in years. I suppose I should thank you for the opportunity."

He nodded at her with appreciation and added. "By the way, I also happen to be the spirit of your gun."

Integra made an incredulous face. What he was saying was pure nuts, bollocks. " _You—_ the spirit of my gun… what kind of rubbish is that? Good grief, I must be drunk and I've drowned in my bathtub!"

The legendary musician laughed heartily. "You're a very humorous woman but I assure you that you're not drunk, Integra Hellsing. You're dead—and this is no ordinary dream. Don't tell me you've forgotten what happened to you?"

With a great sigh, Integra rifled through her pockets and produced a pack of cigars and a silver-coloured lighter. _Hold on._ She blinked with sudden realisation. She was in her everyday charcoal suit and red cravat, but there was no cross on the knot. Oh, yes. Of course. Sergiu Medrea pricked himself on the pin part of the crucifix and it clattered to the floor inside his big fancy house.

"I was captured. That maniac tried to violate me. He choked me. I got stabbed through the stomach."

Yet, there was no stab wound. Integra inspected her stomach with the flat of her hand in astonishment. The wound she had sustained there was gone. There wasn't any blood. She felt no pain. With a shake of her head and with tentative fingers, she lit the cigar and inhaled deeply—inhaled as if she could figure out the mystery with a hit of nicotine. She took a few more drags and collected her thoughts, smoke circling around her head like a poisonous miasma.

Bemused, Mr. Bowie watched her carefully and said, "You're getting warmer…"

Integra stuck the cigar between her teeth and took a step back. Her shoe crunched over something. Glancing at the floor, she discovered she had stepped on her round spectacles—shattered and crushed beyond all recognition. How in God's name did they end up on the floor?

It suddenly dawned on her. "My eyes!"

Her left hand flew up to her face, nearly poking herself in the left eye. The eye patch was gone. The horrid eye—shot out by the mad Major—was whole and functional again. In fact, her vision was twenty-twenty!

David Bowie was laughing. "It's quite comical that you didn't notice you were not wearing your glasses or that eye patch the whole time you stood here. A lot has happened to you and _is_ happening right now, but… maybe I'm not the one that should be explaining it. That supernatural sort of stuff isn't really my speciality." The musician informed and nudged towards the bar with his chin. "Might I suggest you chat with the bartender?"

"Integral…" a new voice called out.

It was a familiar voice, a most welcoming voice, one she had not heard for forty some years. Integra spun around and exclaimed in disbelief, "Father…?"

Indeed, there stood Arthur Hellsing behind the bar pouring scotch into a low-ball glass. _Impossible!_ Like the others, he seemed to be wearing funeral garb, an all black suit, snappy waistcoat and black tie. He looked very dashing with his trimmed dusty blond hair and beard. He was not as he was on his deathbed, ailing and sallow, weak and withering. Here, he had pink in his cheeks and a sly twinkle in his scholarly blue eyes.

He appeared the way Integra liked to remember him most.

He pushed the glass towards her. "Sit my child and have a drink with your old man, hmm?" he requested and poured himself a scotch, too. "We've never had this trifle pleasure, you and I. You were just a girl when I passed away, still a bit too young for the good stuff."

In the background, Mr. Bowie softly strummed a song.

The Hellsing woman forgot all about the man on stage or the faceless people in the pub and took a seat at the bar, resting her cigar in the nearby ashtray. She gaped at her father in an odd mix of amazement and frustration. In one fluid motion, she picked up her drink, swallowed the contents and slammed the glass back down on the hard wooden surface. "Clearly, I'm having one hell of a dream. I'm speaking to my father who has been _dead_ for over forty years. Will someone _please_ tell me what the fuck is going on?"

"I quite understand you're a little confused, my child." Arthur patiently refilled her glass. "I believe the transformation you are undergoing kind of muddles the perceptions, one should think. I can only really speculate on the issue for I have never had a test subject to study on the matter."

"Transformation…?" Integra repeated.

"My darling, you've died and are being re-born as nosferatu." Arthur shook with a dry chuckle. That revelation did not seem to disturb him at all. "Did you forget that you gave Alucard consent? That noble vampire king grabbed the opportunity by the virtual bollocks. At least he waited until you made your choice. I really can't say that I'm surprised by that choice, Integral. You have completely fallen for that creature." He levelled a fixed gaze on her. "I shall not favour you with falsehoods… I'm quite astonished."

Integra stared at her father and it all came flooding back, the events at Crawford manor. A collage of images filled the blank canvas of her mind—and her laying on that bedroom floor bleeding to death. It didn't hurt as much as she thought it would, being bitten by a vampire. Gingerly, she felt the bite marks on her throat with her fingertips and closed her eyes, heaving a great heavy sigh. _Alucard._

Her fingers desperately reached for her cigar still smoldering in the ashtray and she puffed on it as she recalled the last moments of her human life. Her father's words hung in the air like molten drops of guilt threatening to burn if they should fall on her.

Her stare was cold and hard. "You're disappointed…"

Arthur took a sip of his drink and set the glass back on the bar. "I _said_ that I was astonished, Integral. I never said I was disappointed. You know I do not appreciate words being put in my mouth. I taught you better than that." He scolded mildly and then smirked at her with a sly look in his bright blue eyes. "What's with that look, hmm? You should know better than anyone that Hellsing's find ample ways of getting themselves into trouble. I mean, just look at your grandfather. He was the worst of them. Am I wrong? He started it all—chasing that monster all the way to the Carpathian Mountains in Transylvania! And what did the old codger do? He brought it back to England. He _captured_ Dracula. He brought him into our family home!"

Arthur shook his head. "Of all the crazy harebrained stunts—different things were to come for our family once that creature crossed our threshold. And different did it get! Together we re-invented that vampire, your grandfather and I. It was our crowning achievement—other than when your mother and I created you, of course." He assured like most business-oriented fathers. "It was no act of God that we turned him into a devastating, powerful weapon. _Too powerful._ And when I feared that I could no longer control him, I hid him away from the world. Until, my treacherous brother Richard came along and you unlocked the old Count. That monster became your salvation that day—and today… your saviour. However, what I could not have predicted was that you would be _his_ saviour too, Integra. And _that_ is what's so astonishing."

"But surely I've tarnished the family name… tarnished the honour and faith that this great family stands for. I never got married. I never continued the Hellsing line. I've ruined everything you and grandfather built with the purpose of protecting the country and its people." Integra crushed her cigar out in the ashtray, the smoke tasting bitter now. "I was weak." She sounded bitter, too.

Arthur scoffed. "Nonsense. You followed your heart like a true Hellsing; so much like your grandfather in that sense. People will get over it. They always do. The Hellsing organization will flourish for as long as you wish for it to flourish, until you are bored with it after two hundred years and decide to _eat_ all of its board members."

Integra's jaw dropped. "Father!" She admonished and then the two of them snickered like naughty children. "I cannot believe you just said that. You're incorrigible."

"It was a deliciously hideous thing to say, wasn't it?" He seemed so dreadfully pleased with himself. "Hmm, I wonder what kind of creature you will make."

"Not a mindless one I should hope. I didn't stumble onto this path unknowingly," she reminded him and stared into her drink sullenly. She scoffed. "He's a useless idiot without me, father. I do love him. He needs me and… I need him. Does this mean I've turned my back on God? It's selfish, I know."

"No sweetheart, it's not selfish…well, maybe a wee bit. But you didn't do it with a rapacious heart. You did not seek immortality for the sake of evil or hatred. You did it for the purest most honest desire any one person can have. You never need to turn your back on God; I don't believe that for a second. Your faith is always there, in your heart…as long as you're willing to let it. I believe that when one loses all faith, monster or human… that is when evil becomes a servant of the Devil."

Arthur reached for her hand. His palm was warm and Integra wore the faintest smile. He paused for a moment and swirled the amber liquid in his glass in the other, then looked up at her capriciously.

"Sometimes I think you've forgotten, my dear, that you are also a beautiful woman. I knew when I died and left you with Alucard… I knew… that you would both construct your own fate. It was inevitable. How, under His heavenly gates, could that No Life King not fall in love with you, Integral? Because of you, he is no longer just a pale shadow of himself. You are a strong, intelligent woman willing to stand up to the world's most evil demons. You have achieved greatness. But most importantly, for as long as you live your subfuscous unlife, you will always be a Hellsing and you will _always_ be my daughter. Never forget that." Arthur told her. "Now it is time to waken… I will not listen to your woebegone tales any further. Be free, my child. Alucard and Seras are desperately waiting to meet you. Go to them. Go… be with the family I could never give you."

The world around her began to melt away into the nothingness and with it… her father. A part of her desperately wanted to cling to him and never let him go, but the rational side of her knew that it was folly. She understood her destiny now and it was not here in this place. Not here among the ghosts. Still, she felt a pang of sorrow. Her father was a soothsayer, a wise, yet, silly man, and she missed him so _very_ much.

"Father... Father... Father…" Her own mumbling woke her up from slumber.

Integra's eyes fluttered open.

_~And the darkness became my light and for the first time… I truly felt alive~_

For a moment, she almost did not know where she was, except the patterned plaster ceiling above looked awfully familiar. Of course, Integra realised she was in her own bed, in her own room, inside her own house. The mild panic ebbed and beneath the covers, she felt the nightshirt she normally wore, noticing she wore nothing underneath it.

Integra was also aware that the wound at her middle was gone, recalling the dream she just woke up from vividly. She remembered everything else, too. That bastard Sergiu had stabbed her. Left her for dead.

However, the wounds were gone. She felt no residual pain. She felt no kind of pains at all, except for an extraordinarily different kind. A pang, a hunger unlike any she had ever felt. It made her teeth ache made her mouth feel parched and thirsty. The idea suddenly thrilled and unnerved her all at once. She knew what that hunger was. The dream was not just a figment of her imagination but also a telling of truths.

Her father told her. She was a vampire.

Integra sat up.

"Sir Integra!" Seras was the first to squeal, hovering anxiously on the right side of the bed dressed in a clean burgundy Hellsing uniform, and her red eyes as wide as saucers. "You're finally awake. We've been waiting forever! Oh, _wow._ Look at you. You have both of your eyes back!"

The Hellsing woman couldn't help but cringe at the draculina's cheerful proclamation. Was it her or was Seras's voice _much_ louder than usual? The sound wasn't awful. It was more profound in some way.

"Why must you always be so loud?" A deep voice reproved. "As I have stated once before… you're liable to wake the dead."

Nothing Alucard could say could ruin Seras's good mood. "I can't help it we won and all three of us are together again. The bad guys are dead and everything is just as it should be, so you're both just going to have to deal with it." She insisted stubbornly and sat at the edge of Integra's bed as giddy as a schoolgirl. "Master was right, Sir. As soon as the sun set you woke up. It's like he's done this before or something."

With her pair of reconstructed eyes, Integra followed Seras's gaze to the other side of her bed and her heart leapt instantly.

There he was slouched back in an armchair with a booted foot propped on his knee. His chin rested on the backs of his gloveless knuckles, elbow situated on the arm of the chair like a spoiled ruler indulging in this evening's delightful entertainment. His eyes burned as dying embers, watching her with a villainous smile upon his face.

She gazed at him—the man she could not live without. She could feel his blood flowing in her veins and it stirred something sensual inside of her.

"Alucard…" she whispered and made a surprised expression at the sound of her voice. She examined her throat with her fingers. It did not hurt anymore either, her own voice sounding so alien to her. It was clear and full, not raspy and tattered as when she had last heard it.

"Good evening, Integra. I trust that you slept well?" He inquired, smoothly.

"I dunno if I would say 'well' but I'm alright. I did, however, have the barmiest of all dreams," she shared, her eyes taking note of Alucard's casual appearance without his coat and jacket. He seemed very relaxed and her eyes lingered on him as if she were seeing him for the first time.

Alucard mused as she gawked at him, like a babe seeing the world for the first time. "You spoke with Arthur…"

"How—"

"You were talking in your sleep just before you woke up," he avowed. "What did he have to say?"

With a sigh, she told him. "He said a lot of things, Alucard. Some of which I will admit was remarkably prophetic. We played into the hands of providence. I've accepted the truth."

 _"The truth…?"_ Alucard repeated.

"Yes. The truth that no matter what happened at the Crawford property, this was inevitable, my fate. It's like you said, _'It's as_ _if life is indeed made up of fate'_." She recalled the night Alucard read to her and the discussions they shared about the greater powers that be. "Maybe it is cruel—but I don't feel that way. I gave you my blood and now I'm dead."

"And do you feel dead?" Alucard had a devious glint in his eye.

For a moment, Integra closed her eyes in favour of all her other senses, allowing the verve around her to unveil itself to her. Indeed, there was a lot of life and energy around her that she never noticed with her human perceptions before.

The Hellsing manor was brimming with more activity than she ever imagined.

It was full of dull hums, buzzing electricity and moving water and air through pipes and air ducts in the walls. With a small twist of her lips she realised they had a small rodent infestation in the basement. There were voices. Many voices. All belonging to people under her employ. She could hear them talking, hear them moving around. One pair spoke about the score of the football game they were watching, while two Hellsing patrol officers stood outside smoking cigarettes. She inhaled the fragrant tobacco smoke. Mmm, it smelled wonderful.

She longed for a cigar.

It was nearly overwhelming. It was all so new, this heightened sense of keenness and acuity. Her senses were in overdrive. Neither her body nor her surroundings felt the same. She dug into the vastness of space around her, space that no longer felt as if it closed her into anything.

_Can I walk through walls?_

Alucard's twitter came from the left side of her bed. _"Of course you can, Integra. You can be intangible. Simple matter cannot contain you anymore. It's quite fun at first, but I assure you that the novelty will wear off eventually. Keep in mind, vampires are not born knowing all of these skills… you must learn like everyone else."_ He explained to her in mind, hearing her thoughts.

 _"It's not that hard,"_ Seras joined in, overjoyed to speak telepathically amongst all three of them now that they shared relations. She no longer had to have physical contact with Integra to do it.

Integra spoke aloud but thought telepathic speaking could be quite beneficial in the future. "Well, it's certainly not dead in the sense that I am lifeless. I know that I am technically dead, but it feels quite the opposite. I never knew… I could never really…"

"…understand until now?" Seras finished for her and took Integra's hand into both of her own. "I get that. You are one of the best monster hunters I know, Sir. You know so much about the supernatural but nothing compares to living your life as one. It's kind of weird looking at it from the other side, huh? Suddenly the whole world is brimming with new sounds and new scents that you are not accustomed to hearing or smelling. You'll get used to that, you'll see. One day it'll be second nature," she encouraged and looked bashful suddenly. "I'm glad you didn't give up on us, Integra. For a moment there last night I was so scared that I'd lost you."

"I didn't fall into Sergiu's hands to die. I had hoped you and Alucard would find me before anything terrible happened. I knew I was their target; I was suspicious the moment Lilith walked into my office. I mean, whom were they kidding? I could tell she struggled with something internally and it's a true shame in the end. She would have been a great asset to the Hellsing Organization. I believe she truly wanted to be my friend." The Hellsing woman sighed deeply. "I let them play out their plan and reveal their secrets. I hid my own plans from the world. The least you and Alucard knew the more authentic their plot seemed. I had hoped to lure you all to their lair except… there were forces at hand that I could not have predicted."

"It was reckless. You learned to manipulate your thoughts remarkably," Alucard offered.

"It was risky and dangerous, I know… I know. I owe you both a huge apology." Integra actually smiled and squeezed Sera's hand. The draculina's touch was potent and electric, more so now than ever before. Even her sense of touch felt amplified. It actually gave her goose bumps. "Let's forget about that. It's all over now. I promised you that I wouldn't give up, didn't I?"

Seras couldn't help but sound a little bit childish. "Because you love master…"

"No… because I love you _both_."

Seras began to sniffle with happy tears. "Oh, Sir! Don't do anything that crazy again—promise!" She flung her arms around the other blonde woman, giving her a big hug and scolded. "Even if you _are_ a vampire now you're not invincible."

Integra endured the invasion like that of a mauled kitten while Seras clung to her fiercely. While Seras held her, she found herself intrigued by a familiar rhythmic sound coupled with a strange swishing noise. It was louder with Seras so close. "Is that yours and Alucard's heartbeats I hear?"

Seras released Integra and sat back, grinning.

Alucard answered. "Yes, it is. As well as your own, I imagine." His tone was serene. "You are probably hearing the flow of our blood as well—kind of makes it handy to know where your potential food sources are. Does it make you thirsty?"

Integra flashed her eyes at him at the mention of blood. "Wouldn't you like to know?" She replied callously.

Alucard's responding chuckle was mischievous incarnate.

The Hellsing woman scowled. "You're just revelling in this aren't you?"

"Revelling does not even _begin_ to describe it." He countered with a clever look in his sultry eyes.

"Then let's get one thing straight, Alucard." She began grimly, letting go of Seras's hand. "I made my choice and you might have given me this unlife. However, I must regretfully inform that I will in _no way_ call you 'master'." Integra put down her verbal foot. "No matter what I've become or how I got here, I will bow to _no one_. I am still a Hellsing and I will _always_ be a Hellsing. As long as I retain my mind that will _never_ change."

Alucard's grin grew tenfold. "Spoken like a true No Life Queen—I wouldn't have it any other way. However, with all due respect, Integra… you are my wife in my eyes. You are me. And I am you. You drank my blood and I drank yours. The days of master and servant are finished. Such titles are no longer suitable would you not agree?"

Integra thought it over. "I… I suppose you're right."

"Nonetheless, in saying that," Alucard persisted, "I will humbly follow your orders as a devote husband. I pledge my allegiance to you. Previously, I told you that I relinquished my desires to command and conquer. Even now that you are my mine, I say these words to you. They do not change. Not ever. For you, I would happily slay the world if you so ordered me to, but not until then."

"Devote husband and wife? Is that what we are?" It made Integra chuckle.

"And why not…?" Alucard sounded a little exasperated. "Don't mock what you've never had, Integra. I will treat you with no less respect than I did before. Finally, I have been given the opportunity to stand beside you as an equal. Do you think you've fallen from grace now that you and I are the same?"

Shocked by Alucard's words, Integra replied, "You know I don't believe that."

"Then why do you laugh?"

Integra was annoyed with herself for feeling coy by the mere mention of the term 'husband' and 'wife'.

"The concept is still ambiguous to me, my experience in such matters is nil." She answered truthfully. "Forgive me, Alucard, I did not mean to make light of the situation. That was not my intention. It's just… the idea. It's… it's not something I ever expected to hear you say, that's all."

A pleasant look overcame Alucard's face. "I see… you are a blushing bride, then."

Now she was fuming. "I'm not blushing!"

Alucard wore a pestiferous look but remained silent.

"What about the Hellsing Organization?" Seras wondered, hesitant if she should interrupt her masters as they hashed out their marital roles. Clearly, Integra was blushing. "Err… you have to get back to the Twelve, Sir. They're breathing down our necks about you and frankly I bet they're going to come knocking soon if you don't calm them down."

Integra did not hold back a groan at the thought and shifted her gaze to Seras. "I'll settle things with them momentarily. As for us, _of course_ the Hellsing Organization will continue to be operational. We must always be there to protect those that are helpless to monsters. That is my duty. It is as long as the Convention doesn't try to plunge a stake through my heart," she claimed matter-of-factly.

With that, Integra motioned for Seras to move out of the way. She flung the covers off and swung her legs over, climbing out of bed. Covered in a nightshirt that went to mid-thigh, Integra padded over the tiled floor to the windows in bare feet. She felt neither hot nor cold.

Alucard stood up from the chair he was in and watched her closely.

"Of course, I'm sure they will lay low once they hear your voice," Seras confirmed, watching the other woman, coming to stand at the end of the bed now. "How they will react to you being a vampire… well, that I can't be sure of."

Integra parted the curtains and stared out at the early evening stars. Yesterday's big moon hid behind sparse clouds and appeared a hazy dim bulb up in the indigo sky. Still, seeing it filled her spirit with certain brilliance and she thought… _the moon is my sun now._

"Alastair Kershaw was working with Lilith. They were an item. She was the girlfriend that nobody met, the woman he picked up at the airport that day we got Yarwood's severed tattooed finger. I never thought anything of it," Integra murmured and fisted her hands angrily at her sides. "To think he lied to us all this time. The swine…"

"I told you before… I never liked that guy." Alucard reminded.

"He's currently being held prisoner. So, he won't be duping anyone anymore," Seras offered. "Good fucking riddance, I say. I hope they hang him by the balls."

"Oh my… _oui!_ I love it when you speak like that, _ma chérie_ ," Pip interrupted, his disembodied voice floating around the room. "Like a trucker woman that could drink you under the table better than any man. It's such a turn on."

Seras lamented. "Ugh, Pip, where do you come up with this stuff?"

"It's so easy to get her riled up, no?" Pip said, impishly. "But never mind that—look at this! So, it is true, Ms. Hellsing… you've finally let the big guy bite you."

Integra could not hold back a smirk. She turned away from the window to face the room. "That's right. I get to live out the rest of my days as a giant mosquito."

Positively repulsed, Alucard grunted disparagingly. "What a horrible comparison, my darling. I'd rather you compare us to a leech or a blood-sucking bat then a meagre insect loathed by the entire world."

The Hellsing woman laughed.

Alucard continued. "I'll have you know that vampires get bitten by mosquitoes, too."

" _Really?_ And what happens to the mosquito when they do?" Integra genuinely wondered.

"Nothing that I know of, thankfully we resist the swelling and itching they cause for humans. I haven't scratched a mosquito bite in over 500 years."

The room fell silent. Then Pip's cackle echoed all over the house like a haunted mansion. "That's the stupidest thing I ever heard."

"It really was," Seras agreed and giggled. "Seriously though, you really need to look at yourself, Sir Integra. It's been so long since I've seen you like this."

Integra wore a deadpanned expression now. "What do you mean _'like this'_? What—was I hideous before?"

"Well… no, but you did complain about wrinkles, old age and bladder—"

" _Seras!"_ Integra squawked as her eyes widened with alarm. "That's quite enough. Must we advertise my prior shortcomings to the _entire_ household?" On her peripheral right, she could hear Alucard's chuffs of amusement. Her right eye began to twitch.

Seras chuckled uncomfortably. "Um, right. Sorry. My bad…"

"You two are both delightful and completely ridiculous, I'm having a hard time deciding on which," Alucard taunted and both females turned and glowered at him. For a moment, he balked at the severity of their admix scowl.

"You put your own shoe into that one Mr. Alucard," Pip alleged.

Integra turned towards the window again, ignoring the silly conversation. She noticed how gloomy clouds had moved in and hid the moon behind them. She sensed rain on the way, perhaps a storm. Her inner thoughts grew darker as the dull ache continued to bother her mouth. Inquisitively, she ran the tip of her finger across her teeth.

"My, what lovely fangs you have."

Integra glanced over at Alucard dryly for his annotation. "Is it _always_ this bad… this craving? I feel as though I have not eaten for a lifetime. A thorough gnawing emptiness…"

Seras blinked.

Alucard smiled triumphant.

"The lust for blood will forever be your dark passenger, Integra." He said. "It is your burden and your plight as a vampire. It is also your survival, as you are well aware. It provides you with adequate hydration and sustenance. Your vampiric knowledge should ease the transition for you, but as your mate, do not fear to ask me anything. I humbly await your quandaries."

"Are you sure you want to rush into that so soon?" Seras questioned cautiously. "Perhaps you should take a few days and—"

"—why should I wait?" Integra countered indifferently, cutting Seras off. "I know how this works. Drinking blood is essential if I wish to obtain my full potential. I loathe the idea of remaining weak due to any mortal sensibilities that I still possess. Not that I wish to 'eat' all of my board members as my father would put it, but you know what I mean."

Her remarks had the old vampire king chuckling oh-so sinister. "Not an ounce of hesitation— _that—_ is the Integra Hellsing I met all those years ago in that forgotten cell. Splendid." Alucard rumbled with praise. "Yes, why waste a single moment filled with dithering uncertainties and instead _grasp_ your true nature, accept the role you play on this shadowed stage." He rifled into his jacket draped over the chair, extracting the extra bag of blood that Seras brought up earlier. "Transforming into such a lovely creature is utterly exhausting. Let's just say, I thought you might be ravenous so I saved this for you."

A mischievous smile spread across Integra's face. "Did you, now?"

Again, Seras blinked.

" _Mon dieu!"_ Pip suddenly spoke up in disbelief. "I knew it! What did I tell you, Seras? Didn't I say she'd make a scary monster?"

"Not out loud, Pip!" Seras admonished and glanced worriedly at her two masters, but they were too busy in their own little world to notice.

Volumes of unspoken words passed between Count and Countess.

"Drink, my love. And you shall learn what it means to be a vampire, but you must bear in mind that this blood will not unleash your true vampire nature. For that, you must drink blood from the vein of a living human. I have no doubt that your opportunity will come, and when it does, I _greatly_ look forward to such a day." Alucard confessed coming to stand in front of his mistress.

He offered her the blood.

Integra took the cool flimsy blood bag out of his hands, her mouth began to salivate and her new teeth sharpened. She swallowed instinctively. Just the idea of drinking blood evoked a completely new animal inside of her. She looked up at Alucard, hungry blue eyes searching his. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"To think you really need to question this, Integra." He answered with deep incredulousness. "This is the moment you become who you were really meant to be. I have desired this moment, like perfect dream that is no longer a dream at all—I've only just woken up to discover that it is real. I want to savour it. I want to hold it in my hand. _Taste it._ I want to observe you blossom, to see you unravel the ribbon of your new existence, my beautiful creature. Go on… drink."

A rumble of thunder sounded from outside, off in the distance. The first fat drops of rain splattered against the window.

Without hesitation, Integra tore the tip of the tube off with her teeth and sucked up mouthfuls of blood. Her eyes fluttered closed and she sighed deeply while she fed. The blood, it was exquisite.

Seras bit her lip, astonished to see how readily Integra accepted the blood.

"That's it," Alucard extolled. He was completely enthralled, watching her with a rabid expression. He did not even realise he was holding his breath, which he released and it shuddered passed his lips. Watching her feed was tremendously arousing. And when she opened her eyes to look at him, he smiled wickedly… they were deep red, like jewels, glittering passionately at him.

Having emptied the contents of the donated blood bag, Integra removed the tube from her mouth with a lavish sigh. "Make love to me," she demanded breathlessly, running her palm across Alucard's shirt.

Seras's brows shot up.

Pip gave a low whistle. "And _…_ _that's_ our cue to leave," he sing-songed. "Why don't we give these two love birds a little space, _mignonette_?"

"I think you're right, Mr. Bernadotte." Seras tiptoed towards the door and looked back just once, but it was enough to witness Integra unscrupulously squeezing her master's rear end with a roaming hand. Seras choked on some giggles and blushed profusely. "Right… err… toodles, you two. Try not to damage anything."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohhh the fluff! We have earned it XD! Everyone is back together again. It took me a solid week of thinking, when trying to decide who would be the ultimate gun spirit for Integra and when the idea for David Bowie came to me... I was like OF COURSE! I blasted this out loud in an parking lot lol! I love David Bowie and I was so sad about his passing and I thought this was a nice tribute, besides the fact, that he would also be the COOLEST gun spirit for Integra. I did enjoy those quirky moments in Hellsing and since Alucard and Seras both have these crazy gun spirits I thought Integra needed to have one too!
> 
> In my headcanons I think Integra, as a vampire, would indeed, grasp the role by the virtual bollocks lol! I can't see her being all squeamish about it. I'm going to have fun with this. And I hope you have fun with it, too!
> 
> Next. Chapter 26 - The Opening of Integra Hellsing - Part 2. The steamy tension inside Integra's bedroom rivals the storm unleashing its fury outside her window. King and Queen finally get to enjoy the splendor of lovemaking. But they are not the only ones... Seras and Pip find ways to occupy their time, as well. (Note: Warning! This chapter will definitely contain scenes of sexual content. I hold nothing back. You've been warned.)
> 
> Until next time!
> 
> Reviewers: Omgosh! I'm ecstatic by the response to the last chapter! You are all so supportive and wonderful! I'm so happy that I could share this laborious endeavour with you. Thank you very much for the kudos and comments :3


	26. The Opening of Integra Hellsing - Part 2

**Hellsing Manor, August 21st, 9:45 p.m.**

"You want me to make love to you?" There was pleasant wonderment in Alucard's voice as he stood before his new bride in front of the bedroom window while a late summer storm unleashed its fury upon the world.

"Mmm, yes… more than anything." Integra's reply was thick with arousal as her hand sampled the firm contours of Alucard's body. All she knew was that if she did not have him soon she might very well lose her mind.

"Then… it would be my _greatest_ pleasure," Alucard professed as a fork of lightning streaked across the sky beyond the window. For a moment, he glanced over Integra's shoulder at the rain-spotted window and out into the night for a moment. A rumble of thunder followed the electrifying flash of light. His lips curled at the corners. "Well, you certainly chose a most splendid evening for it," he added returning his gaze to her, taking the empty blood bag from her hand and tossing it aside. "It would seem as if drinking that blood excited you. Tell me, did you enjoy it?"

He knew the answer he just wanted to hear her say it.

"I enjoyed it too much, I'm afraid. It is a strange feeling. Not quite what one would feel after eating a human meal—I don't feel sated, just… just temporarily relieved." It sounded as if she finally understood the dismal truth behind a vampire's thirst, and no amount of recorded human studies that she has ever followed, comprehensively explained it. "I feel like I could keep drinking and never get full—never be completely satisfied."

"Trust me… you never will," Alucard retort with acidulous enlightenment, letting his eyes rove over her bare feet and legs, up along her rumpled nightshirt, taking note of how her nipples peeked faintly through the material. A low rumble of approval vibrated in his throat. His Integra was always a beautiful siren of enticement, but as a vampire, she simply managed to trump herself. Her tan skin beckoned him to touch and taste. Her hair shimmered like gold threads of silk in waves across her back and over her shoulders. And her eyes, oh yes, those eyes restored to their former glory, continued to burn scarlet now that she was impassioned and full of fresh blood.

The way those eyes sought him out, how deeply they penetrated his soul. It nearly brought the king of vampires to his knees.

"I beg that you not to let me go into a frenzy of bloodlust," she commanded, watching him carefully as he candidly let his gaze trail over her sumptuously. "If that ever happens… you must stop me."

At that, Alucard could not hold back an amused chuff. "Oh. It will happen," he affirmed in a dismissive manner. Knowing Integra's temperament, anything was possible. "But don't fret about all of that right now, my dear. Seras and I will be on the lookout." He would not share that he secretly desired to see such a glorious spectacle and depending on whom she attacked, he may or may not intervene at all.

Narrowing her eyes, Integra overheard Alucard's wayward thoughts and scoffed to herself. _That devil!_ However, for the time being, she would leave it alone. She was not in the mood to squabble tonight. "Speaking of Seras, I believe we frightened her and Pip off. They left the manor entirely," she claimed her hands coming up to untie the red cravat still fixed intricately around Alucard's neck.

"A pity," he replied sarcastically. "Then discretion is merely a suggestion."

Integra sniffed. "I don't give a damn about discretion. I've practiced such virtues long enough, wouldn't you say?" she pointed out tersely, her innuendo evident. "Tonight I want to be like Lady Chatterley and throw caution to the wind. I want you to violate me in the most sinful and decadent ways, _my_ vampire King. I don't know, perhaps the blood did awaken something inside of me tonight, but that's not the only reason. I want to know _real_ passion and I want to feel it with you."

A lecherous grin went from ear to ear on Alucard's face. "And you shall have it. I'm already aching for you."

She seemed pleased to hear that and slid the cravat away from his neck with a gentle swish, dropping it aimlessly to the floor."I have never felt as close to you as I do right now—and we are barely even touching. It's intoxicating." Her body was simply thrumming with some kind of untapped desire. "It's as if your blood has rendered me part of your spirit. As I stand here, I can sense you. I can _feel_ your passion. Am I imagining that?"

"You are not imagining anything, Integra. What you sense is our eternal bond." Alucard reached out and collected a drop of her dinner that had gathered in the corner of her mouth with his index finger. Then he offered it to her sweetly, enchanted to see her gently lick it clean with her tongue. "We share more than just spirits. I hope you realise that it will be much more difficult for you to hide your thoughts from me now that we share each other's blood in this undead life."

A knowing smile danced across Integra's lips. "You're still letting that bother you. Well, if you weren't such a hothead I wouldn't have had to hide my plans from you in the first place."

"You were not erroneous to think that." Alucard agreed softly. "It would have been difficult for me to pretend if I knew that freak intended to harm you with such a foul degree of turpitude. What's done is done. You did what you had to do. I have wasted centuries dwelling on the past and we shall not dwell upon this any further. Tonight is the beginning of a new era. As of now, you and Seras are my past, present _and_ future—the rest can _burn in hell where it belongs_." Then he added more calmly, "I wish for nothing more than what stands before me."

Integra could not help but feel a little less in comparison. She remembered what he said about Seras once when he described her vampiric status to The Wild Geese. "The lowest of the low. A novice creature…"

The side of Alucard's mouth twitched. "A novice, yes, perhaps, but I highly doubt that will be the case for long. I urge you to take pleasure in exploring this afterlife and awakening the secrets within. You will have plenty of time to do that," he reasoned patiently with her. "Progressively, you will come to realise the unfathomable force together you and I have become… now that we stand united. Our enemies will cower and tremble." He raised his hand to touch her face. "Consuming the flesh or blood of another allows a person to obtain all that they are. And from me, you obtained something unique and primeval, an ancient power that no other vampire possesses. _That_ is my gift to you."

Integra virtually shivered beneath his touch as he brushed the backs of his fingers along her cheek. "It's a little intimidating—I'm not ashamed to admit, Alucard." She said gazing up into his eyes. "Nevertheless, I will not be using these enchantments to do harm on the innocent of the world—I could never be that kind of monster. I suppose as a vampire, we have no reason to care about mortals, I get that. Still, they do not deserve such horrors, and so—their fight remains _our_ fight. The Hellsing Organization will always fight for humanity, cleansing the scourge of the earth."

"Of course, but your instinct for survival will outweigh your lingering mortal emotions. One day you may have to choose one or the other," Alucard warned her. "Either way, it will be up to you how you bend to laws set out for humans or bend to those laws created by humans. I thought I was well versed in those matters until Seras came along and proved to me that vampires can retain plenty of their humanitarian qualities. She is a breath of fresh air… a vampire in control of her own darkness. But even then, in time, just as she has, you will understand your true nature and fear nothing. You will become your own special kind of freak."

Integra stopped short at his impudent dig. "Excuse me?"

Arrogance etched Alucard's features while he drew a lock of her hair over his fingers leisurely. "Anyone wishing to cause you harm in the future will not be able to destroy you so easily. Not when you are born of _my_ blood."

Never again would Alucard let another Sergiu Medrea happen to Integra.

Her right hand resumed its seductive trail over him, down and around his hip and up over the curve of his firm rear. It came to rest on the small of Alucard's back, his crisp white shirt cool beneath the tips of her fingers. "It feels so strange to speak such words, that you and I are the same... yet, everything is so different."

"Everything is _perfectly_ different," Alucard reiterated, gathering her left hand in both of his hands in a courteous fashion and kissed the backs of her fingers. His expression softened and he looked up at her. "Now, I have one last thing I must ask of you."

His new bride groaned with exasperation.

The nosferatu chuckled at Integra's evident frustration and swept his hands up playfully underneath her nightshirt eliciting a succinct gasp out of her. He smoothed his palms over the swell of her bottom and up along her back, raising the nightshirt slightly above her waist, revealing her nakedness beneath it. Her velvet skin was slightly cooler than it was when she was human, but warmer due to the fact she just drank the donated blood.

Integra revelled having his hands on her, they felt so good and it set her body aflame along with her tongue. "You wretched beast—you're trying my patience," she complained in disbelief. "What else must we talk about? I'm weary of talking."

The world outside burst again with flash of azure light and a roar of thunder as if Mother Nature was accentuating her displeasure, too.

Alucard brought her roughly up against his body and Integra clung to him, looking up at him with wide eyes. "I know I'm a wretch, teasing you like this mercilessly, but I beseech you answer me this." He said to her. "I'm dying to know what you meant when you said 'when did you become so real?'. What did you mean by that? Have I not always been real?"

The innocent way in which he questioned her, humbled Integra for a moment.

" _Of course_ you've always been real," she answered sincerely. "It's just… how do I put this? Thirty years has changed everything. It changed you—and me. Before you disappeared, I had doubts about what I meant to you. You must understand, we had our fun and games back then, but deep down I always had to wonder whether I was just a plaything for you… some kind of conquest. You returned when you could have flown and sought your freedom. You returned to me, and it terrified me at first, to realise the implication… the way you looked at me that night. It was that moment it all became _very_ real to me… your feelings were genuine, indisputable. _I felt it in my bones._ You returned and now, it is only you inside this skin, a man that, to me… is no monster at all."

Alucard simply stared at her, his lips slightly parted in awe.

Integra lowered her gaze, staring darkly at the open collar of his shirt. She had nothing left to lose. "I have earned status, wealth and respect. I have achieved much in my lifetime. But what is it all for? Without you, all of those things mean nothing. You and Seras are all the family that I know—you are all that I want. I would be lying if I did not tell you now, that the only thing that I fear is that you will tire of me one day. That all of this is for naught."

Removing his hands out from the inside of her nightshirt, Alucard lifted her chin up with one hand and forced her to look at him. "Tire of you? _Impossible._ " A flash of anger crossed over his face at the sheer mention of something so vile. "All through the ages, God has laughed at my plans," he reminded her sourly. "He has mocked me time and time again. When I returned, I had but _one_ aspiration left. _Just one._ One final prayer. And He answered me. He _finally_ acknowledged me. All that I prayed for was you, my integrity, my castle upon high, my saviour, my Integral. Here you are standing before me, my heart."

Integra gazed up at him in awe and whispered, "My sweet vampire… it all sounds too good to be true."

"I'll cherish you until the end of days." His promise came with grave conviction and he wrapped his arms possessively around her, holding her close to his chest.

"Hmm, that could be a while," she murmured listening to the trouncing of his poetic heart, gripping onto him tightly.

"For once—I'm looking forward to it," he declared.

"And if time should change us again in the future…"

"It might, but we shall focus on today and then tomorrow and then the day after that, as it comes. As it always does."

"Yes, you're right, Alucard. You're absolutely right." Integra lifted her head from his chest. There was a nefarious glow in her eye. "Now, enough chatter, _my dear husband_. I have never felt this kind of fanaticism before, and I swear, if you make me wait one moment longer, I will have to take you by any means necessary and… I _really_ don't think you could stop me."

Alucard's eyes were alight with a pure gleam of adoration. "I'd love to see you try," he challenged.

Her red eyes narrowed. "Don't tempt me, vampire. Right now, I feel as though I could lift a house."

"You jest about such things Integra, but you might actually surprise yourself," Alucard seriously considered. "Why, just look at the incredible burden Seras is capable of carrying. It's quite impressive."

"Well, I'm not Seras and raising houses is of no concern to me right now." Integra mused and reached up, weaving her hands into his unruly ebony hair that no longer displayed a patch of grey. She made an inquisitive face. "Your hair is damp."

"I had a shower just a little while ago. Seras insisted I be at my best when you woke up. You know how my hair always takes a while to dry," he said as if he has explained this a million times.

"Tsk. You used my bathroom?"

" _Our_ bathroom now," he corrected smugly.

"Why you—" But before Integra could comment unfavourably about the use of her facilities, Alucard grabbed her in close again and kissed her.

She melted against his lips. Her hands still furled in his thick black hair.

Lightning lit up the night as he kissed her hard and full, hands pawing over her slender body, passion unleashed, words forgotten. He kissed her until she moaned deep within and her hips flexed instinctively against his body, demanding more intimacy.

He picked her up, her lengthy hair shrouding them and she wrapped her long legs around his waist, arms going about his neck. Her hands were still clutching his hair, tugging and fisting. Their mouths moved wildly, tongues sliding wetly against each other, kissing as if they had never kissed before.

Alucard closed his eyes, tasting the residual blood in Integra's mouth. She never tasted so sweet, sweeter than ever before.

No. He would no longer get to savour her virginal blood or the warmth of her human flesh, but her vampire kisses would do just nicely. In its place, she radiated with a new intensity combined with the old one. This woman was his equal in every way now and her body was perfect. Alucard's pleasurable sounds resonated in her mouth and in his state of arousal his teeth grew long and sharp.

Integra moaned painfully as his teeth grazed like blades against her tongue. Even though her own fangs were sharp, they were nothing like Alucard's full set of razor points. Her mouth began to pool with blood. Yet, it only served to increase her passion, driving that untamed animal out of her again.

The No Life King tasted her claret essence and pulled away, his intention was not to harm his new bride and…

_Snap!_

Integra lunged at him, champing her bloody teeth together as if to bite him.

Alucard's eyes widened but his short-lived stupor morphed into abysmal delight and he chuckled at her ferocious display of sensual bloodlust, noting the blood dribbling off her chin. It was an instinctive reaction and he could sense her irritation at being denied the blood… even if it was her own.

He admired her stained fangs up close.

"Why… hello there _,_ " he said affably, staring at his fiery companion completely agog. "My, my, you're so worked up this evening. I do apologise, _my Queen_. I got a little excited there, but it seems… you only have blood and sex on your mind this evening. Have I hurt you?"

Integra regained her composure. "No," she replied. "The blood, it… it just set me off—it was just a tiny wound. It's already healed." She sounded faintly disappointed about that.

Alucard was over the moon. "Say no more, adding a little blood into the foray is quite delicious, hmm? Stirs up a frenzy. Don't hide what you are… you have no idea how stunning you look right now," he rumbled deeply and bent to lick the crimson sugar from her face. "My beautiful creature, you make such a lovely vampire."

Integra sighed as her lover washed her face with eager licks. "Taste all of me," she beckoned, tipping her head back, inviting him to taste her elsewhere.

Extending his tongue, Alucard laved up along the slope of her neck, smearing a light trail of saliva and blood. For the first time in a very long time, he did not really have any desire to bite and feed from her. To bite her now would merely be for fun and sport. Instead, he drew his tongue across her jaw tasting her lovely undead skin, stopping to press kisses beneath her ear.

He buried his face into her hair and breathed in her exhilarating scent. "We'll howl together tonight," he rasped passionately next to her ear.

"Hmm, we'll see about that," Integra taunted.

With her still wrapped around him, he walked them over to the bed and forcibly tossed her back onto it.

Integra landed with a rough bounce and gaped up at him, all her lovely hair fanned around her head and over the bedraggled sheets and blankets. She laid there, her chest rising and falling rapidly, her bare legs spread apart and the nightshirt still covering half her body as flashes of lightning lit up the night.

The nosferatu would call her out on her dare.

Alucard crawled over her and bent down to bite each button off her shirt, spitting them out one by one. Then he spread the shirt open with his hand, exposing the rest of her, the lovely swell of her breasts, the long smooth slope of her belly and the golden curls between her legs. He was lost in her beauty and then…

 _Switch!_ Just like that, Alucard found himself shoved back against the mattress. The nosferatu produced an amused grin as he stared up at his beloved. Integra straddled his waist, hands on his chest, hovering above still wearing that opened nightshirt.

Ironically, _he_ had become the prey.

With his head on the pillows, Alucard looked up into Integra's wily gaze, her face shadowed by her pale lengths of hair. "Well— _this_ will take some getting used to," the old vampire claimed, clearly taken aback. "What will you do with me, Integra?"

A naughty smirk spread across her face. "First off, you are wearing far too much clothing," Integra simply countered and tore open his dress shirt.

This time, Alucard's buttons went flying.

A roguish chuckle escaped him. "And _who_ is being the monster now, exactly?" he quipped, the inquiry completely warranted as he looked up at her with raised brows. She was truly breathtaking he thought and held his arms out to her. "Come to me," he urged softly, and she did.

Integra fell into his embrace and she found herself nosing along Alucard's neck, body resting over top of his. "Your scent is driving me crazy," she told him breathlessly. "It's different—not as it was before. Mmm, you smell of rich earth and strong blood. I feel as though for the first time I'm really touching you, feeling you—tasting you even."

"You are," he marvelled, enjoying way she explored him with her newly heightened senses. He also enjoyed the feel of her breasts pressed up against his bare chest.

"You're wonderful, my Count."

"As are you… my Countess."

His fingertips raked gently along her hips, setting off sensations like that of ribbons unfurling across her new skin. Integra released a pent up sigh into his ear, spurring her to plant kisses across his jaw and over his face before settling to sample his lips again.

They kissed impassioned and Alucard continued to touch her, reaching down to fill his hands with her rear end, pressing himself up against her.

More gently than her display of dominance, Alucard rolled back on top of Integra and pushed himself up. He climbed out of bed and began to remove what was left of his clothing.

He started with his footwear and socks.

"Yes, I know what you're thinking, my dear. I _could_ simply will the clothes away, but that look in your eyes. Oh yes—the one you have _right_ _now—_ I'd kill for that." He confessed to her terribly.

Integra gazed at him with a look of immeasurable rapture, a look she shared with no one else, and Alucard had never felt more received or desired by any one being in his entire existence. It was carnal and transcendent, this love they shared.

He questioned mischievously. "Some things are best done the good old fashioned way. Wouldn't you agree?"

"I couldn't agree more," she divulged, placing her head in her hand and turning onto her side, watching him vigilantly, awaiting his return. She feasted her eyes on his exceptionally tall form. Her handsome vampire had long sinewy limbs, big feet, a lean sculptured torso and broad shoulders. She enjoyed watching him wrest his legs out of his dark trousers, seeing how he stomped his way out of them mostly when they were down to his ankles and thought...

_You can put the boy into the prince but you cannot take him out of it._

She twittered to herself and then her eyes went _there_ between his legs. She unabashedly stared at his groin, the idea of averting her eyes a distant, long forgotten emotion. Surrounded by a patch of dark hair, Alucard's arousal was hard and thick and a swollen part of her throbbed in response. Yet, a devilish part of her wondered if his manhood was the same size in all his other forms.

Alucard swiftly glanced up at her with the most bemused expression on his face. "Would you like to find out?" He wondered playfully. "That could certainly be fun."

"Cheeky bastard," Integra retort with slight chagrin. "Are there truly no keeping secrets from you anymore? Am I unable to ogle and think wicked things about you without you invading my depravity?"

"Not really," he stated evenly, standing there naked as a jaybird. "If it makes you feel any better I could usually wallow in the mire of your depravity even when you were human. Just now, you cannot manipulate your way out of my mind reading. I'll have you know, reading minds becomes exhausting… I don't wish to do it all the time."

"But you're doing it now." She reminded him dryly.

"I cannot help it. I'm eager to know what you're thinking as we consummate our union," he professed like a hopeless romantic.

Integra sniffed.

"I'm sure you'll understand the art of telepathy soon enough—my advice is… you learn to tune it out. I mean, listening to _my_ thoughts all day long could drive a person a bit batty."

" _Batty_?" Integra laughed loudly at his pun. "Clever. However, I'm sure you make a valid point, Alucard. And, oh yes, I would _very_ much like to see what it looks like in all your other forms and do horrible things to you in them, but not tonight," she told him flat. "Tonight, I want the man I fell in love with."

Alucard seemed at a loss. "But… I am _all_ those people. I can even be a woman if that tickles your fancy."

There was a strange twinkle in her eye as she pondered the idea. "We'll discuss those options another time."

"So be it," he relented with a goofy smirk and climbed back into bed. He smoothed himself up along her body, sampling with his lips and tongue as he went. He stopped to suck a lonesome nipple into his mouth.

"Mmm," Integra sighed, arching up against his mouth, pressing the back of her head against the pillows. She was very aware of his arousal pressed firmly up against her thigh.

Enjoying her sounds of pleasure, Alucard laid claim to the other nipple, swirling his tongue around each rose-coloured bud. He lavished attention on her breasts, fondling them with his right hand while his left smoothed its way down her body. When he reached the apex between her legs, he slipped a finger into her. She was already dripping wet.

Integra released a diminutive moan. "Alucard," she breathed out, sweeping his raven hair up from out of his face with one hand, interrupting his nipple sucking. "Take me."

His red eyes flashed up at her and he raised his head slightly in question. "But I want to prepare you properly. A gentleman should always be considerate of a lady's first time," he claimed. "The night I open Integra Hellsing, it needs to be done right."

"Oh please, you've done everything right. I'm as ready as I'll ever be." She pledged haughtily.

Perhaps his queen was right. Sometimes slow and steady won the race, but other times… one just had to leap forward, grab that target and crush the living daylights out of it. Besides, they did have the rest of the evening to fill in the blanks, and such a beautiful stormy evening it was.

"Take me, Alucard. I'm ready."

He could not answer with anything less than a crazed kind of groan for suddenly his vocal cords failed to function. He had waited for this moment for such a long time that he was unsure he had heard her say the words correctly. Alucard settled his hips between her spread legs, gliding his length between her damp folds, both arms on either side of her, and hands flat on the bed. With smoldering red eyes, he raised his hips and watched the glorious expression on her face as he entered her.

Instantly, her eyes scrunched and she took a sharp intake of breath. Her elegant golden brows furrowed and her mouth parted...

"Oh fuck… _yes_ ," Integra cursed.

Alucard let out an amused huff at her choice words and gathered her into his arms, filling her completely. A guttural sound left his throat as her body sheathed him, her grip on him so blissfully tight.

Her mouth was agape—her virginity was no more. Integra was more than fine with that. It barely hurt at all. Alucard's body fit into hers perfectly.

"Magnificent," he murmured before pressing his lips against hers and began to move within her. He started slowly at first, gentle long strokes, until the tension in her body lessened, enjoying the sheer feeling of being lost in her fully. Alucard released his kiss, burying his face into the nook of her neck and drove into her deeper.

Integra moaned out disjointedly, the feel of him within her was beyond any description. It was wonderful. Beautiful. Once again, the animal inside of her emerged and her fingers uncontrollably morphed into gnarly claws and she clutched onto his back, digging sharp jagged nails into his shoulder blades.

Alucard hissed next to her ear.

Integra hissed right back.

She held onto him as he rocked into her over and over and, god-help-her, over and over again. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she held him close, panting over his shoulder. It felt _so_ good Integra thought she could weep.

In fact, her eyes were blurry with crimson tears. "Don't stop," she pleaded. " _Please_ … don't stop."

"Integra," he grunted.

"Alucard…" She mewled. "Harder. Don't be so gentle."

He would have to change positions. Alucard withdrew and urged her to turn over onto her stomach, blue cracks of light blazing from beyond the windows. As the heavens rumbled, he got to his knees. Then, he grabbed Integra up by her hips and before she even had the chance to balance herself, slammed back into her from behind.

She cried out resplendently and un-noble like, the front of her body collapsing to the bed, the side of her face squashed roughly up against the mattress like a stuffed doll. It was animalistic and unleashed. Integra had never felt anything so sublime. The moon and the stars were within her reach.

The old vampire gritted his teeth and snarled passionately. "Like that? Is that hard enough?" Alucard questioned as he fucked her.

Her beautiful howls of ecstasy were answer enough for him.

Integra found a pillow to gnash her teeth into, claws shredding the sheets. The whole bed shook violently as Alucard hammered her, each thrust making her choke on heavenly whimpers. She rode the hot wave, rode it until a concentrated knot of pure unadulterated madness burst into flames within her.

It came again and again, this orgasmic blast. Integra lost her mind.

"Argh!" Alucard growled. Her body squeezed him in a way that only lovers sought and the sheer feel of it, drove him to that blessed brink of insanity. Hunched over her he shuddered, filling her with his bloody essence.

The two nosferatu caught their breaths, but not for long. Integra collapsed onto the bed and Alucard lay on top of her, still buried deep, holding her close. Both were silent for a moment, basking in the glow of their newfound intimacy. Integra sighed delectably as her body absorbed Alucard's blood into her own body, filling her with fresh vitality.

It brought a grin to her face.

"What sweet blood you have," she shared softly. "Definitely better than what I tasted in the past. I could get addicted."

He nuzzled against the side of her cheek with his own. "I'm honoured you think so, my blood and body are yours to savour," he replied, kissing against her temple along the hairline. "However, now I feel somewhat peckish."

Integra suggested. "Perhaps you should run down to the kitchen for a snack. It wouldn't do to have you pass out me."

"Oh?" He sounded amused at the notion of something so ridiculous. "And how's that?"

"I'm _far_ from finished with you, No Life King. We _must_ do that again. Many times. I fear that by the time we're finished you'll be nothing more than a dried out old husk."

He purred deeply, slipping himself from her. "Well, I can't envision a more splendid sort of death," he responded. "I assure you, we can do this as many times as you wish, as much as the night allows. I'd like nothing more."

Integra smiled against his lips as they kissed her cheek softly. She had not felt this content in ages.

"I must say, Integra, you're quite the animal in bed," Alucard alleged moving off her to lie on his side with his head in his hand, observing the shredded pillows and blankets. "You grew claws."

Integra pushed herself up and sat back on her legs.

Alucard observed his bride still wearing that buttonless nightshirt, hair mussed up staring at her hands peculiarly with eyes now back to their pure shade of blue.

"I don't know how that happened," she said thoughtfully and looked over at him. "Did I hurt you?"

"No. Not really it—" Alucard barely responded before she crawled over to him and inspected his back. The wounds were in the process of healing nicely.

Unexpectedly, she began to snicker.

"You think it's amusing?" he pondered incredulously.

"I suppose I shouldn't think that making love to you would be commonplace," Integra speculated with mirth. "I guess I couldn't help myself. I am a vampire after all with a lot to learn it seems."

"Which reminds me," Alucard began. "I wanted to ask you about your coffin. Of course, it's not always necessary to sleep in it, but you are young and you might require its regenerative qualities more so than I. I mean, what if we decide to travel—you know how that works. The dead need a final place to rest. I can't have my queen sleeping in anything but the finest resting place—"

"—filled with the soil of my birth place, yes, I know." The Hellsing vampire added and returned to lie on the bed, facing Alucard with her own head in her hand on top of the torn sheets and pillows. What if I told you, I already had a coffin picked out and it's been in this house for the last couple of years?"

"Why did you do that?" Alucard wondered brushing rogue strands of her pale hair off her shoulder.

Integra sighed as she recalled the reasons. "I began to doubt that you were ever coming back and I was starting to feel pretty old and miserable. The spark I had felt as a youth was burning out, Alucard. I just felt so insipid and weary… there was no happiness in my life anymore. It was all routine and duty…"

"…so you prepared for your funeral." Alucard finished for her. "Figuring you were going to die alone as an old woman."

"Yes. I wrote my will in which I left everything to Seras," Integra revealed and Alucard smiled at her.

"Good choice." He granted, watching her tenderly as they lay face to face on the bed, naked and at ease. "I was hoping you didn't have a coffin yet and would perhaps share mine with me until you did. Now that you're not among the living you're welcome to enter it any time you wish."

"I think now I might like that," she replied with mirth. "But don't get too comfortable with the idea, I need my leg room."

Alucard laughed.

Just then, a phone began to vibrate loudly across the nightstand.

Alucard's first response, he grabbed the phone and threw it, hoping to smash the meddlesome thing it into a million pieces.

However, Integra intercepted the phone on the other side of the room before it could smash into anything.

At this display, Alucard sat up swiftly on the bed, gazing at Integra on the other side of the room. She stood there holding her nightshirt closed with a fist. And in her right hand, she held the glowing phone. He wore an utter look of surprise on his face, not expecting her to do that, and so quickly.

"I can't believe you just did that!" Integra's blue eyes switched to bright red as she glared at him with annoyance. She held a finger in front of her lips to silence him and answered the phone. She knew who it was by the call display. "Sir Gregory, thank you for calling. Oh no, I assure you that it's not too late." Integra paused. "Yes, we're receiving a proper downpour over here as well. Hmm, yes, I'm fine… I just needed to rest after all that happened. I'm alright."

Since he was going to be in trouble anyways, Alucard thought he might as well make it worth his while. Naked, he climbed out of bed and approached his half-dressed woman, clearly up to no good. Integra darted nervous eyes at him but continued to speak to Penwood.

Alucard whispered into her free ear, "You have excellent reflexes."

"Ssssh!" Integra hissed and stepped aside, swatting Alucard away as she spoke into the phone. "Oh, no, I was not speaking to you Gregory, my apologies. I was just trying to prevent a sneeze. Yes. Yes. Allergies or dust I guess. Now what was that you said? You want to arrange a meeting…"

Alucard twittered evilly as she waved her hand at him in exasperation. He came up from behind and pressed himself up to her backside, filling his hands with both her breasts over the nightshirt. The vampire nosed into her hair, drew the shirt off her shoulders and kissed the back of her neck softly, drawing his tongue across her shoulder. Alucard was beginning to feel the stirring of arousal again the silkiness of her skin teasing him mercilessly.

Soon, he was prodding her with a full erection, but he did not enter. For that, he could wait until she got off the phone.

Amazingly, Integra kept her cool even as Alucard rubbed himself against her, hands massaging her breasts. "I think I'll be up and about in a week or so. I need a little time to recuperate after that debacle at Crawford Park." She waited a moment. "Yes… I know. It was a reckless situation I put myself into…"

"Extremely reckless," Alucard agreed softly and smoothed his hands along the front of her body. _"Mmm… forget about that snack, I'm just going to eat you instead."_ He claimed the rest of his thoughts to her telepathically.

Stricken, Integra shook her head 'no' and spun around to face him, phone still held to her ear. She scrunched up her face, running a finger over her throat as if to slit it open in a silent warning, _"Don't you dare, Alucard."_

All she got in return was a diabolical grin full of teeth. Alucard squatted down and grasped her by her hips in his big hands, pressing his face into her sweet blonde curls and lovely pink folds.

Integra made a rare kind of squeaky sound, her eyes a wild mix of fury and deviance as she cast them down at Alucard's dark-haired head. She rambled quickly into the phone. "Gregory, I will be at that meeting in one week and we shall discuss everything then. I must go now… a… an important situation has come to my attention posthaste." There was a short pause. Integra was biting her lip. "Yes, good evening."

As soon as she hung up, Integra released a profound moan… Alucard's tongue was getting ridiculous reach. "Oh, you fiend!" she admonished and scowled at her deplorable mate. "I cannot believe you just done that while I was on the phone with one of the Knights!"

Alucard pulled back for a moment to look up at her. "Relax, Integra. He has no idea what I'm doing to you." He smirked. "Now, forget about them. What's more important now… is discovering how long it will take for you to come in my mouth." Wicked eyes glanced up at her from below as he resumed tasting and licking at her savagely, revelling in his debauchery with a low rumble of delight.

* * *

Seras clung onto Pip as he took her.

They made love on the wet grass in some secluded spot on the Hellsing manor grounds. For a while, they avoided the downpour from the violent summer storm inside the garden gazebo, but Seras insisted they dance in the rain.

Well, one thing led to another. Now their cries of passion fused with the crashing of thunder, as the sky lit up with pent up electricity.

It was definitely an evening for lovemaking.

They still wore most of their clothing, which was now sodden and clinging to their bodies like a second skin. A materialised Pip, his bare ass on display, thrust into his lover.

"Oh, Seras. _Oui! Oui!_ " He moaned out disjointedly.

Seras held onto him like a vice. "Pip! Ah! It feels so good."

Neither cared that water dripped off their chins or that their hair lay plastered to their faces and neck. The only important thing right now was displaying their undying love for each other.

" _Mmm!_ You feel so good, too, _ma chérie_ … so fucking good. I'm so close," he warned her.

It was as if she didn't even hear him as her body soared and broke apart like beautiful shards of crystal. Seras cried out in orgasm, her shuddering moans flitting past Pip's ear as he buried his face into her neck.

He could not contain it and, he too came hard, her body squeezing him in a way that only a woman could.

"Oh shit!" Pip cussed as lightning blazed above them. "I couldn't control myself… your body… _oh fuck_." He was sighing as his climax slowly ebbed and he held onto her fiercely. "The things you do to me, _ma chérie_."

The draculina placed both hands on Pip's face and brought her lips to his. She kissed him in their afterglow, sweet, soft and very wet kisses.

"Oh, Pip. That was hot… _really hot_ ," she murmured with her lips just a breadth away from his. "I couldn't control myself either."

" _You_ couldn't control yourself?" He repeated in amazement. " _Non_. See… you've got it all backwards, my sweet." Pip chuckled and removed himself from her.

They caught their breaths for a moment.

"Let's get you out of the rain and maybe go back inside. I mean, we can't run from the house every time those two decide to make sweet _l'amour_ , now can we?" Pip wondered.

Seras giggled. "Of course not, but I thought it might be nice to give them some personal space this one time. Besides, I wanted to have my way with you, Mr. Bernadotte, and making love in the rain is something I've _always_ wanted to do." She admitted in a girlish voice.

"Oh, so… this was all part of your naughty scheme, huh?"

"I knew rain was on the way—and why the hell not?" Seras replied. "I don't want to go back inside when I feel so free out here right now."

"You're right… we spend way too much time inside the old walls of that old manor."

"Which reminds me… you still owe me a real date," Seras reminded.

" _Mais oui_ , of course. Why don't we discuss what you'd like to do, hmm? Shall we go to a fancy restaurant? Take a lovely walk down a city street and do a little window-shopping, have a beer? Or perhaps we could go to a concert?" Pip was full of ideas.

"Oh, I like the sounds of a concert and the window-shopping." Seras was a female after all. "We could dance and bring our own wine."

Pip pushed himself up and held his hand out for Seras to take, "Woman, I like your style."

The vampire grabbed Pip's hand and pulled herself up and they both fixed their clothing as best as possible. Seras adjusted her skirt and Pip zipped up his trousers.

"Oh! We're soaked to the bone and it feels so refreshing!" Seras said as if she only just realised. "Let's go back to the gazebo and watch the rest of the storm. It's so lovely and I'm not ready to let it end."

"Not as lovely as you, my beautiful Seras Victoria. These moments with you are always extraordinary… you certainly know how to keep it interesting," he teased as they hurried to the back of the manor hand in hand to the garden where a large white gazebo loomed in the center.

"Thirty years with you feels like yesterday." Seras was blushing at Pip's affectionate words. "I love you."

 _"Je t'aime! Je t'aime! Je t'aime!"_ Pip suddenly hollered making Seras squeal in embarrassment. " _Je t'aime_ , Seras!"

They ran through the garden laughing like fools in the rain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the magic... they deserve this romantic interlude dammit! It wouldn't have been right without giving Seras and Pip a little romance too!
> 
> Next. Chapter 27 - True Renascence - Integra adjusts inside her new skin and confronts the Protestant Knights while taking care of one final issue. (This is the final chapter but I do have a Bonus Chapter 28. Something fun, sexy and with a touch of drama.)
> 
> Until next time!
> 
> Reviewers: Waaaa! It's soo brilliant that so many enjoyed the waking of Integra. Your reactions and comments were lovely. So many dear thanks!


	27. True Renascence

**Hellsing Manor – August 28th, 8:00 p.m.**

Whoever coined the phrase 'sleep like the dead' should get a bullet in the head. At least, that is the conclusion Integra came to for a sudden loud noise roused her from pleasant slumber.

She had been blissfully dreaming—about ice cream, no less. She was eating it. Licking it off the back of a spoon and it tasted as delicious and as decadent as she remembered. She prepared it just the way her and her father would at the big dinner table when she was a kid. Swirling the frozen dessert around until it was soft and melting slightly so it would easily coat the back of a spoon. Then, they would lick it all off and do it again.

Vanilla was the flavour—their favourite—rich and creamy with specks of vanilla bean.

It was heavenly.

Now, Integra frowned at the jarring disruption and elbowed Alucard in the ribs gently. Well, somewhat gently. He grunted like an old bear scratching against a tree, yet, embraced her tighter seeing that he had her wrapped up in his arms as they slept.

"What did you do that for?" he murmured in dismay.

This morning, just before the sun rose, Alucard convinced her to curl up with him inside his coffin instead of going off to her own and Integra agreed. Now, however, she wasn't sure if that was a wise decision, since he was sawing logs like a chainsaw.

"You were snoring again," she complained, her tone cold. "I was having a lovely dream and you ruined it."

Alucard merely chuckled, his diaphragm twitching at her back, as they lay spooned together in his big black coffin. "My apologies, I'll be quiet and let you get back to it," he bestowed.

Integra sighed. "It's too late now… I'm awake and I'm hungry."

"Hmm, you're always hungry," sounded a sleepy Alucard. "Tell me, what were you dreaming about?"

Integra did not wish to share it with him, but he already knew. She was not even sure why he asked when he could simply hear her thoughts. Hell, why did they even talk at all?

The lord of darkness made a face. "Ice cream— _again?_ I don't get it."

"Of course you don't get it. You have been dead for 598 years. When was the last time you ate ice cream? Have you ever even tried it?" Integra pondered.

"I don't think I've ever had it as a human. I have as a vampire but… I didn't like it."

Again, Integra sighed with defeat inside the blessed pitch black of the coffin. She was awake but she was not ready to leave the comfort of Alucard's kingdom. When she was in here it felt like she was in another realm entirely, a peaceful one, she discovered. It smelled earthy like a forest and it filled her with certain vibrancy.

"You're hopeless."

"Hopelessly smitten with you," he purred.

A ridiculous smile curved the corners of Integra's lips. Alucard always found a way to make her smile even if he was the frequent cause of her strife. She decided she could handle the strife for the all the times he made her heart smile. Besides, after all those years of sleeping alone in that big empty bed, she would admit it was nice having someone to curl up with whenever she felt like it, which wasn't as often as Alucard would like. If the old bat had it his way, he would cling to her all day long while they slept.

"Alright, I forgive you for snoring," she relented at last. "Maybe I'm cramping your style sleeping in here with you."

"Psh! I'll pretend you didn't say that." He groused unable to put into words how wrong she was. Alucard's hand began to caress her, smoothing across her belly and then snuck beneath the waistband of her pyjamas.

"Alucard…" she warned.

"What? I'm finding much difficulty keeping my hands off you. I so rarely get you in my coffin never mind get to hold you for this favourable length of time," he rumbled softly next to her ear.

Unexpectedly, Integra's annoying alarm clock on her phone began to chime, filling the small confines of the coffin with its shrill music.

Alucard grumbled and his hand ceased its sensual travels. "Hold on, you gave me trouble for waking you when your alarm was about to go off anyways? Hrmph."

"I have a dinner meeting with Judy and Marvin, which you are requested to attend—Seras will be there also." Integra told him, her manner turning sombre.

"Your faithful servants..." Alucard admired these two mortals especially after their contribution and proven reliability to Hellsing. Without them, Integra's entire plot to entrap Sergiu would have failed. In addition, he admired them for being the only humans living under a roof full of vampires without a shred of fear.

Truly commendable, they earned his respect.

"I told Judy we'd sit at the dinner table like regular people and Marvin promised to join us. Judy offered to cook him something nice as well as for herself. I hope they're not squeamish about the blood while they eat." Integra mentioned thoughtfully and shrugged against him as she shared her game plan. "Tonight, the Convention is assembling downtown… this will be the first time they see me after the incident. I'm ready to face them, Alucard. It's time. But on top of that, Marvin should have that address I asked him to get for me. There's some place I need to go after the meeting with The Twelve… will you accompany me for an outing later?"

Integra already knew his answer.

A shuddering breath of anticipation passed Alucard's lips. "The idea of what you're thinking about is incredibly arousing," he breathed. "Smite your enemies. Impale their corpses before your castle. Let all know the power you thus hold over them. You have earned that rite when they plotted against you, my love. Even as undead, Integra Hellsing, you are _still_ capable of inspiring my passion."

The No Life King's nefarious laugh was the epitome of evil.

* * *

**Military Headquarters, London, August 28th, 9:02 p.m.**

As the last bit of molten sun dipped below the horizon west of the city, Integra Hellsing stepped out of her black Jaguar, of which she decided to drive herself today.

Accompanying her was Alucard and Seras.

"You know, you don't have to do this, Sir," Seras claimed protectively. "What if they don't… you know, accept that fact that you are a vampire now?"

"Well, that's what I need to find out. Let's not get carried away just yet. Come on," Integra directed them.

All three headed for the government building dressed in their everyday attire.

Seras's blonde hair fluttered in the mild evening breeze and she straightened her burgundy Hellsing uniform as she followed her masters, smoothing out her skirt. Alucard strode next to his treasured new bride, eyes concealed behind his favourite orange wielding glasses, his long red coat flapping westerly. Tonight the old vampire forwent the fedora, his wild raven hair short and as tame as it can be. As for Integra, she looked ready for business in her standard charcoal grey suit with a red cravat similar to Alucard's, minus the silver crucifix.

The only addition to her attire was a pair of tinted sunglasses to hide her eyes, which were ruby red in colour given that she drank blood at dinner with Marvin and Judy, just before she got here. One never knew what to expect from the Protestant Knights and Integra did not want to get perturbed on an empty stomach.

Always better to be safe than sorry, she thought.

Besides, in a little while her eyes would return to their pure shade of sky blue, seeing as, she was not yet a true vampire.

They walked through the halls of the government building, which was rather quiet at this hour. When they approached the Round Table conference room, the officer standing guard opened one of the heavy wooden doors to grant them entrance.

Integra thanked the guard and entered the spacious room with its gigantic round table in the center. Normally there would be a few dozen people working along the bank of glowing work terminals, but not tonight. Tonight, there wasn't a single individual working in this room upon Integra's request. She asked that only The Convention of Twelve be present for this meeting.

Not even their assistants were here.

All the Knights, dressed in their dark suits and ties, stood up when Integra headed for the table, followed by Alucard and Seras.

"Here, allow me to get that for you, Sir Integra." Gregory Penwood jumped out of his seat and rushed over to pull out a chair for his skillful fencing partner and his late father's long-time comrade.

Stopped in her tracks, Integra raised an astonished eyebrow. None of these people had ever displayed such behaviour before, nor had they ever offered to pull out her chair. Integra quickly regained her composure and she thanked Sir Gregory, taking a seat at the end of the table.

Seras and Alucard stationed themselves behind her chair surveying the group pensively.

Everyone else took their seat, as well.

The first thing Integra noticed amongst the Twelve was the stench of trepidation and guilt. She could smell it in the air. She could sense it permeating from their bodies. It lingered while she listened to the consortium staccato of their heartbeats, which hammered harder as they tried to reign in their apprehension.

It was nice to see them sweating a little, wondering what she might say or do in light of all that had happened.

Yet, she also sensed something else, something remarkable and something unforeseen. Loyalty. These men were here for _her_. They were here to support _her_. All that had happened overshadowed what modest faith they held in her previously.

This Integra could also sense within the group. And the reason was simple: the poison contaminating the Twelve was gone.

Alastair Kershaw.

There was no treachery bogging down this secret group of watchdogs for the King. That deceit was locked away behind bars in a military prison.

Integra breathed a sigh of relief and extracted a pack of cigars from her inside pocket.

Rob Walsh, the oldest member of The Twelve, with his maroon-coloured beret and military uniform decorated with war medals, was the first to speak on behalf of the group.

"We are greatly relieved to see that you're alright, Integra. _Greatly relieved._ I must say, you gave us all quite a fright." He expressed genuinely, sitting back with one leg crossed over the other smoking his own cigarette from his fancy cigarette holder. "It took some real guts to do what you did, _real guts._ I, myself, understand why you did what you did and I would personally like to extend my apologies to you… sometimes…" He struggled. "Sometimes even the mightiest of soldier's make mistakes. Are you sure you're alright, you seem… err… a little paler than usual."

Hugh Irons leaned forward placing his elbows on the table looking over at Robert. "Pale? I dare say she looks relatively well rested. The reports claimed that Alucard had to carry her unconscious self back to Hellsing Headquarters."

Integra withheld an impish smirk that was trying to win its way to her face and placed the much-desired cigar between her lips. She lit it with a gold metal lighter.

Silver ornamentations on her person were out of the question indefinitely.

Integra took a drag and placed the lighter back into her jacket pocket. She blew out the smoke with a lavish sigh and looked up at the probing Convention.

"I'm fine, Robert and everyone, thank you. I'm fortunate that you all worked so diligently to locate Sergiu Medrea's hideout and wipe out his militia." She offered sincerely, twirling the tip of her cigar in the ashtray. "I must also apologise for placing you all in such a precarious situation. I knew I was taking a chance, but you must understand, I would have rather _died_ then let that bastard get away with it." Integra declared hotly to the group. "I saw my opportunity to infiltrate. I could not sit back and let that kind of evil ruin London again. I couldn't let Sergiu's mad campaign to wipe out vampires go on because he had a long-standing vendetta against them. The people of this country have been through enough. Again, I will not deny that what I did was incredibly perilous, because it was. I just didn't see any other choice."

The Zeppelin Affair would forever haunt Integra Hellsing.

Sir Gregory Penwood wore the guiltiest face out of all of them. "I suppose that was partly our fault for doubting you, Alucard and Seras Victoria. The political pressure was stifling, Integra. We had to do something quick once that carnage at St. George's Cathedral went live on air. We had no idea it was all part of a giant overall scheme, yet… you used that to your advantage."

Integra would not deny it.

"Alastair Kershaw insisted we hold you to your promise," Mr. Morgan reminded, twisting his tawny moustache between two fingers. "To think he was a traitor working with that Iscariot paladin…"

For the first time in a while, the usually fiery orange-haired Sir Dagwood Morgan was at a loss for words. Integra felt a pang of sorrow for him, and for his wife, who were no doubt still grieving over the loss of their daughter, Juliet.

"How is Margaret holding up, Dagwood?" Integra inquired softly.

Mr. Morgan looked up at Integra sharply. "She only left her bedroom for the first time yesterday, in fact. Took a stroll in the garden… got a little sun," he said and gave a faint smile. "It's hard. She knows that it wasn't Alucard that murdered our Juliet." The man shot a feeble look at the red-clad vampire.

Alucard remained silent.

"Yes, Victor Payne was destroyed along with his vampire maker, Dolores, and Bishop Winmore Crane was taken into custody by Section XIII. Heaven knows what they did to him. I've had Marvin look into the holy hunter cult he was operating but it seems to have been disbanded by the new Bishop in charge of Winmore's old diocese." Integra informed them.

"It seems as if most of the Crawford Gang that Sergiu Medrea was leading has been destroyed," Sir Walden Blackensfield offered pushing up his thick-framed glasses. "It looks like he had hybrids from all over the world gathered on that rural property. Years of recruiting his gang just like his former partner Gage Crawford, the legendary British gangster. I still can't believe it. To think this was all going on right under our noses for over a century."

"Although," Sir Hugh Irons began in retrospect. "There are nearly 300 hybrid soldiers still at large. Reports suggest they left Crawford Park before our tactical units arrived on the scene."

"Do you think they are something we need to concern ourselves with, Sir Integra?" Robert Walsh questioned.

"There haven't been many reports of supernatural attacks worldwide, nothing that would suggest that those hybrid soldiers are carrying through with their original assignments. Perhaps they have disbanded with the loss of their leader." She suggested. "The Hellsing Organization will stay on top of it."

"Have those Iscariots returned to Rome, yet?" Mr. Blackensfield inquired.

"The last I heard, yes. Seems they retrieved Lilith Medrea's remains and collected the Saint Benedict artifact before the Crawford mansion burned to the ground," Integra shared.

Seras smirked secretively to herself.

"Lilith was a lost and troubled individual," the Hellsing director offered with a sigh. "Torn between wanting to be part of her brother's life and doing what was right in the name of God. Sergiu was only using her… he didn't have the capacity to love her as she hoped he would. I believe she really did have affections for Alastair even if she did use him to get to Hellsing, but no matter, Alastair _will_ pay for the part he played in this travesty. If it wasn't for Lilith, I would have… we all would have…"

Integra was unable to finish that statement.

 _"You don't have to tell them anything."_ Alucard told her in mind. _"You don't owe these humans anything."_

Integra sighed. _"But I must, Alucard. They have been deceived long enough with Alastair. They will find me out eventually. I will not cower from the truth. It's time to make things right. It's all or nothing. I must know where I stand amongst them."_

It was then that Gregory truly took note of Integra. He noticed something different about her. "Sir Integra, I… I just realised you are wearing a pair of sunglasses rather than spectacles. What happened to your eye patch?"

The men around table leaned in and looked on curiously.

"By George, he's right!" proclaimed Mr. Blackensfield excitedly. "I thought nothing of it until Gregory brought it up. What's the meaning of this, Integra?"

"I am also curious as to why you requested we have this meeting at night and that only _we_ be in attendance this evening?" Sir Hugh Irons commented. "It's rather odd wouldn't you say?"

Integra snuffed out her cigar in the ashtray with a scoff. "It's not really that odd, Hugh. I just didn't want a lot of people to know what I'm about to show you," she replied and reached up to remove her glasses.

The people in the room collectively dropped their mouths open and gawked. All of them took note of Integra's scarlet eyes.

The pieces of the puzzle finally came together. Why Integra did not go to a hospital and why she took over a week to get back to them.

The Twelve also noticed minor changes, the lack of grey hairs and fewer wrinkles. They noticed that her cross was missing and that, indeed, her tanned skin was a touch paler. Integra no longer resembled a middle-aged woman.

The Knights more than understood what all of this meant. They too were relatively well versed in vampire lore.

Rob Walsh startled everyone when he smacked his wrinkled old hand down on the table causing everyone to startle. "So we _were_ too late!" he growled with grief and then released a heavy sigh of remorse.

Gregory hung his head in shame. "I am so sorry it had to end up like this, Integra. You… we… we tried everything in our power to find you. I see that, in the end… we failed."

The other men cast their eyes aside unsure what to say.

Sure, they deserved to feel the blame for turning their back on Hellsing, but Integra did not think they deserved to feel the guilt of her transformation. "It saddens me that you did not stand behind the Hellsing Organization when we needed you most, perhaps we could have found a better way to deal with Sergiu, but…"

She produced a smile rarely seen by her fellow Knights.

"…I don't regret anything."

Puzzled faces studied her from around the table.

"I guess _you_ had something to do with this?" Sir Hugh asked Alucard stiffly.

Alucard lowered his orange glasses and looked over at the younger version of the late Sir Hugh Islands Irons with his tidy light brown hair and shiny spectacles. "She made her choice," he said. "It was either die at the hands of that maniac or become a vampire. Lucky for you, she chose the latter."

The Knights glimpsed nervously at one another. That's right, if something had happened to Integra, Alucard would have ripped them to shreds.

"His Majesty will have to be informed about this," Mr. Blackensfield offered. "We can't conceal this information from the crown."

"Of course not," Integra agreed at once. "Gentlemen, as it stands, the Hellsing Organization is still operational, that is, unless… you wish to destroy the monster sitting before you."

Everyone looked dumbfounded.

"You must be joking!" Mr. Morgan bellowed, his cheeks turning ruddy with vexation. "If it wasn't for that vampire of yours you wouldn't be sitting here with us now. I suppose we really should thank him."

The Convention of Twelve all glanced at the vampire king again, but this time in a new light.

Alucard sniffed under their scrutiny.

Seras hid a giggle behind her fisted hand. This was turning out better than she thought.

Integra was most surprised to hear such comments coming from Mr. Morgan, of all people. "You have no idea how wonderful it is to hear you say that, Sir Dagwood. My physical being has changed, yes, but my desire to protect this country and its citizen's remains. You have the new anti-freak squad and I will provide men to boost their ranks when needed, but from now on, my vampires will only be called in to clean up the more… challenging issues. Are we clear?"

"You're not leaving the Knighthood, are you?" wondered Rob Walsh from the other end of the round table.

"Not unless His Majesty awards me debasement of my knighthood," she retort.

"Oh, come on," Hugh Irons jeered. "His mother was an avid supporter of Alucard. I highly doubt he'll remove your title unless you prove unworthy and dangerous, perhaps."

"Right. I mean, you don't seem much different than you were before." Sir Gregory claimed. "The only ones that are really going to have a fit about this are the Iscariots. However, they are the least of our concern right now."

For all the times these fools doubted her or gave her a hard time, they more than made up for it today with their steadfastness. "I appreciate your support, Hugh, Gregory—everyone. I pledge my honour and life to the crown and this country for as long as this Round Table convenes and works to protect England," she promised.

"Hear. Hear." They all said.

"Will you… you know, fight alongside your vampires now that… you have supernatural abilities of your own?" Gregory questioned Integra awkwardly. He was more than curious.

Alucard felt it important to impinge on the conversation. "May I remind you, that I am still and forever will be, the finger that pulls the trigger as long as my Queen commands it," he informed the group. "Integra may be a vampire but she is still the head of the Hellsing Organization."

"Right, we will always have her back," Seras decided to share with sincerity. "We work for her just as we have always done."

The group grew perfectly quiet all the sudden.

" _Queen…?_ " Gregory repeated. "What happened to 'Master'?"

"Err… it's complicated," Integra replied without giving out any further details. "Look, gentlemen, it is business as usual except, I might not be as readily available during the daytime hours. Not until I figure a few things out. In the meantime, I beg that you bear with me. I hope you understand my reasoning behind this late meeting."

"Say nothing more, Integra." Mr. Blackensfield encouraged. "We're just glad that you're alive."

"And that you're still on our team." Robert Walsh cut in with a smirk. "I'd hate to discover what kind of terror you can be with Alucard's abilities passed onto you."

Integra chuckled. "You know, I once said that, _'…the day one of these meetings ends on a harmonious note is the day that I die'_. Astounding, right?"

The Knights were speechless.

* * *

**1:37 a.m.**

The view from Gianicolo Hill provided a sweeping visage of Rome's white monuments, new or ancient. During the day, under a brilliant blue sky one could see the city for miles, feeling on top of the world.

Alastair Kershaw always felt that way when he stood here, escaping the mundanity of world affairs in stuffy conference rooms with stuffy individuals. He came here often when he finished work, when he had political conferences to attend in Rome.

In fact, this was where he first met the woman he had come to know as a paladin of the Iscariot Organization. The woman, he learned, that could control blood in the most heinous kind of way. It was also the place, where he discovered that Lilith Medrea shared a similar hatred for the Hellsing Organization.

Next to him stood his beautiful Lilith, always dressed so proficient and sharp in her black pencil skirt and dark blazer, red hair wound up in a black tiger clip, tendrils creeping out in just a way it made him want to reach out and snatch it from her hair. He loved to watch her hair spread out and spill down her back like a red whip of fire.

He looked over his shoulder at her disbelievingly.

"Am I dreaming?" He asked his once faithful lover who had her arms resting on the tall concrete ledge, gazing out at the scenery that was the city. "This can't be real. You never answered my call that night… you betrayed me. You bloody well failed to lock that monster away. You and your crazy brother fucked up! Sir Hugh came here and told me what you'd done… he rubbed it in my face. Why did you side with that Hellsing bitch? Instead, you gave your life to protect Integra and her fucking monsters! How could you? You should have seen the look on that bastard's face as he told me. The Twelve, what a useless bunc—"

"It's too late for all that now, Alastair." Lilith warned without looking at him, without answering his questions. "They are coming for you."

"What are you talking about? Who's coming for—"

As soon as his hand touched her shoulder, Lilith disappeared on the breeze like heavenly blue dust and Gianicolo Hill melted away from his vision.

It all melted away like a swift moving river.

…like rain on a fresh painting.

The paint turned to black and rushed towards Alastair, sweeping him up in its inky, fast-paced current. Once in it, Alastair felt the heavy blanket of subjugation smothering him, crushing him beneath its weight. Judgement.

He had it coming, right?

_"Traitor..."_

Struggling, he tried to keep afloat, even as the river lapping around him turned red. With a cry of distress he began to flail and thrash, the sea of red was trying to swallow him, eat him as if a giant set of jaws lay open below him in the watery depths.

He felt something wrapping around his foot, a hand, maybe a tongue.

His head went under and he could no longer see the heavy black sky.

Kicking his legs with all his might, he rushed back up to the surface, taking in one gulp of air before something yanked him under again.

"No!" he spluttered.

He slipped further into the mire. With each lash of his limbs and desperate gasp for air, he inhaled a mouthful of red ink. _Blood._ It tasted like blood!

_"Wake up."_

It was Lilith's voice. She called to him.

_"Wake up."_

Alastair bolted up in his cot, sweat rolling down his face. He gasped violently for air, blinking rapidly in confusion, his heart drumming against his chest like a jackhammer.

He was still in his prison cell. It was still nighttime. He was still alone. _Right?_

Before he could catch his breath, a scuffle came from the murky corner of the small room where there was a barred square window. His green eyes still wide with terror darted towards the sound in a panic, searching.

He waited. He stared. His eyes began to burn and he blinked.

It was nothing.

Alastair took a deep breath. "Jesus fucking Christ… calm down, man. It was just a dream." He chastised himself. "A stupid fucking dream..."

His eyes never strayed from the dark corners of his jail cell. Unable to shake the feeling that someone was watching him.

 _"Who's there?"_ He hissed anyways.

Nobody answered.

Alastair Kershaw climbed out of his bed and padded to the end of the room in his bare feet. The light coming from the hall was dim since it was lights-out and all it did was cast creepy shadows into his cell. In this light, it was even difficult to determine the bright orange colour of his prison jumpsuit, which now looked muted and almost brown in shade. The ex-knight checked out the nebulous corner of his room and breathed another deep sigh of relief to find that it was only his imagination running wild.

There were no monsters lurking in the shadows.

With a scoff, he placed his hands flat on the thick glass window and gazed out. He thought of Lilith as she gazed over the city of Rome from their old meeting spot on Gianicolo Hill from his recent dream.

 _He_ only saw a black sheet of sky, cloud-covered and starless and some parts of the jail.

Down below he saw a rooftop covered in pebbles, air ducts and electrical boxes. At night, it was hard to see anything with the minimal lights mounted around the building, but during the day, he could see birds now and again, sometimes a plane.

Feeling a lot calmer, Alastair pushed himself away from the window. He turned around, heading back to his bed.

"What a lousy view you have from up here." A deep voice reckoned.

Alastair's head shot up and icy fingers slid down his spine when he saw someone standing in front of his jail cell door. "It…it's you!" he gasped. "Alucard."

The red-clad vampire stood there a haunting statue in his hat and glasses and calmly replied, "Alastair Kershaw… _the traitor_. Traitors are cowards."

The ex Protestant Knight held his hands out in a silent plea and took a step back—only to bump into something solid, something too solid to be human.

"Mr. Kershaw." It spoke. He knew that voice. He knew it well.

All the hairs on the back of Alastair's neck prickled. He spun around and came face to face with…

 _"Integra?"_ he said, shocked.

Indeed, it was her but her eyes were the shade of glittering rubies and fresh blood dripped from one corner of her mouth. My God, she was beautiful and mesmerising, even if he despised her, he always thought she was a stunning woman. For a moment, Alastair simply stared. There was just something captivating about the authority she was emitting and it only took him a moment to comprehend.

She was a vampire.

Integra smiled at him wickedly, as if she knew he had figured it out. His gaze went to her mouth, which was full of bloody teeth and fangs.

Immediately, he touched his neck with his fingers.

"You… you bit me," Alastair accused, feeling the sting of a wound and stickiness of blood on the left side of his neck. "Did you give me that horrible nightmare? H-how the hell did you get in here?"

His voice was trembling.

"Like you even have to ask," Integra responded in disbelief, taking a step towards him.

Alastair flashed a look at the other end of the room. Alucard remained by the doorway, watching them like a proverbial red ghost.

Alastair returned his terrified gaze to Integra, knowing he had nowhere to escape. ""Don't do this. They gave me life imprisonment. Isn't that enough?" he reasoned sourly, holding one hand to his neck protectively.

 _"Enough?"_ Integra scoffed. "You think life imprisonment for actions that cost the lives of so many innocent people, is enough? I don't think so, Alastair. All those young women. Ashley Clarke and Juliet Morgan… Dagwood's _daughter_ for heaven's sake. They all died because you wanted to destroy me, because you and Lilith were lovers, because you would _betray_ your own country! No… I'm afraid that's not good enough."

"So this is vengeance, some kind of retribution? Did you bring him here to kill me?" Alastair glanced back at Alucard again timidly before returning his sights back to Integra.

The side of Integra's mouth curved. "Who—Alucard?" She couldn't help it. She chuckled softly. "Not exactly. He's just here to make sure I do this right. You see, I did not survive the battle either. I died at the hands of the enemy and now I have to accept the new creature that I have become... a creature that must feed to facilitate growth and the attainment of _true_ strength."

Alastair swallowed the lump in his throat. "You mean…"

"You're my sacrifice, Alastair. I need your blood. You can rest assured that I will not be taking your dirty soul with me. Goodbye, Mr. Kershaw," Integra said pleasantly before… she lunged at him.

Alastair's shrill scream pierced the prison briefly.

No one really noticed.

**FIN**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's hard to find the right words to put here cause I'm experiencing that bittersweet feeling of knowing this story has reached its end. I'm relieved and sad that it's over because this project was one of the biggest projects I have ever done and it took a toll on me. It took me over a year to complete and more so to post and actually share. I've learned a lot from this experience and I'm proud that I saw it to the end. It was a labour of love... I'm driven to create and put my daydreams in words or graphics. It's been a pleasure to share it with so many wonderful people and fellow fans.
> 
> I have people in my life that have patiently been there as my ear rentals and proofreaders... my confidantes. My Bean-chan my fellow fishy! You are my rock and the person that reminds me that this is all for fun and not to worry about what other people think-to do what makes me happy. My bestie who is fan of Hellsing and a fellow fanfic writer (not for Hellsing) whom I've known for more years than I can remember... thanks for reading my shit and for all your feedback! You are a Priceless gem. And my partner in crime (other than Claude who is at my side most of the time when I'm writing, you furry beast!), my co-worker and fellow Hellsing fan, who allowed me to brainstorm my plot with and squeal over the fun bits between Integra and Alucard. THANK YOU LOVELIES!
> 
> So! Integra became a true vampire and I have one more chapter to share. I really try not to leave unfinished ideas in a story and that is what this bonus chapter does, it fills in those blanks that I left hanging around. Expect some magic, fluff, laughs, angst and serious sexy. And I do mean serious lol!
> 
> Bonus Chapter 28 - Moonlight Desires - A look at Integra and Alucard's lives 6 weeks later.
> 
> Reviewers: The most magical part of it all, is sharing something you made with others and knowing that you made them FEEL something. For all of you that commented or fav'd and whatnot, you did that for me. You let me know that I made you feel something whether it was good or bad... you took the time to share those thoughts and cheer me on. For that I'm forever grateful! You are the best and most awesome individuals and you made writing this sooo much more, ya know? So, thank you!
> 
> I do hope to write more in the future. I LOVE writing... it's my escape. I have an idea for a sequel but don't expect anything soon... It takes me a lot of time to actually write cause of work and life etc. And I don't like to start posting a story unless I KNOW that I'm going to finish it or I have already finished it. That's how I roll. I don't like leaving readers hanging and or waiting forever for updates, and so, I avoid that by following this personal rule. C'est la vie!
> 
> However, any sequels or spinoffs I do will not be this long! Geee... I never thought this story was going to get this long XD! So any sequels will be shorter. The sequel I have in mind will be much less complex and filled with more humour because my brain cannot take another intricate plot atm lol! This idea that I have is a pure personal indulgence of mine, but I think you'll like it too. I hope to share it with you in the future!


	28. Moonlight Desires - Bonus

**Hellsing Manor, October 10th, 2030, 11:11 p.m.**

Some call them 'flying foxes' due to their furry fox-like faces and tiny pointed ears but they are actually large bats. And two such creatures, a dark one and a light one, flittered through the night, their wide wings flapping above the trees and rooftops, sailing on the cool autumn breeze beneath the stars, athwart a harvest moon rising towards the zenith of an indigo sky.

The unusual pair headed towards a stately English manor situated on a vast plot of land on the outskirts of London. When they hovered within an inch above the dark slated rooftop, the two bats magically morphed into people.

It was not just any people. It was the No Life King and the No Life Queen that resided in the house upon which they stood.

Alucard studied his kindred mate, grinning at her full of deep pride. "That was your first transformation into a bat, Integra. Tell me, what did you think?"

"It was…" Integra began but she could not hold back, she succumbed to laughter.

Oh, the freedom of being weightless, soaring through the air, she could compare it to _nothing!_ The sights. The sounds. They flew around for miles and miles and miles—she laughed, uninhibited, thinking she had never laughed more in her entire life, undead or otherwise. This wonderful laughter almost seemed to well up from a different place, a different person. And perhaps it did after she drank Alastair Kershaw's blood, for this laugh was full of mischief and indulgence, it rung with a certain liberty that she has only come to know in the last two months.

At least, not since Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing became a _true_ vampire.

"It was wonderful, Alucard!" She said in a rare exclamation of breathless triumph.

The old vampire was delighted to see his beautiful bride so jubilant. "Perhaps you're a natural when it comes to shape-shifting, I long to see what other forms you will take on in the future." Alucard's baritone lowered an octave as he teased, "One could almost say that being a vampire suits you."

"Let's not get in over our heads now." Integra met his crafty aloofness with her own kind of reserve. "Anyways, as the leader of the Hellsing Organization, I must exhibit reasonable strength and authority. I will not shirk on either just because I'm a vampire."

Alucard had never known Integra to shirk on anything. "What better kind of leader for a monster-hunting organization then a monster? Now you know what it's like first hand. The ace is up your sleeve. Hellsing will be stronger than ever."

"Of course," she agreed. "But… is it wrong to say it's kind of exhilarating too?"

Alucard told her with smoldering red eyes, "It wouldn't be any fun if it wasn't a _little_ exhilarating."

The No Life Queen smiled at him. "Learning all these new tricks… flying. My heart is still fluttering from the experience."

And his heart fluttered every time he reminded himself that he got the girl. "You know, a pale-coloured vampire bat is a fairly rare creature. But then I shouldn't be surprised, for _you_ are a fairly rare creature yourself," he praised and took note of how Integra forgot to include her suit jacket in her transformation from bat back to humanlike form. She stood before him wearing a white blouse, red cravat, dark trousers and flat shoes, her lengthy blonde hair rippling on the wind like golden fields of wheat.

He gestured leisurely with a gloved left hand. "You forgot to include your jacket."

Integra examined herself and willed her charcoal-coloured suit jacket to return onto her body. She'd learned that as long as the items were real to begin with they could be sent away, altered or willed to manifest again as many times as she liked.

"Hmm, you're getting awfully good at that," Alucard awarded marvelling at how arduous Integra strived to unlock her vampiric enchantments. None of her vigor as a human got lost on her as a vampire. In fact, she only used it to flourish into a majestic monster. Give it a century, or two, and Integra would tap into powers so unfathomable, some everywhere and nowhere, gifts from his current existence.

Eventually, others will use accolades like 'Queen of the Vampires', not just himself.

"Well, I do have the world's _best_ teacher but I've had enough flying for one night." That jaunt in the sky did stir up the playful side of her and Integra did not want it to end just yet. "So, what should we do now? There is some work waiting for me but I thought I would get to that later. The night's so young and I'm not in the mood for paperwork."

 _Not in the mood for paperwork?_ Oh, how he loved it when she talked dirty. "Does that mean we can watch a movie?" Alucard suggested optimistically.

Now that they both shared the same sleep cycle, they had loads of spare time to enjoy each other's company. On top of that, Integra did not have to work as hard since most of her contacts were sound asleep in the realm of mortals at this witching hour.

Integra really did take pleasure in a good movie now and then but if Alucard had it his way, that is _all_ they would do. Besides, he always chose the more action-packed, gun-wielding maniac kind of stories, much to her dismay. Integra could not understand it when the man himself was already a walking, talking action-packed, gun-wielding maniac kind of story.

Would it be so bad if they were to watch, let's say… an intellectual kind of film instead? Some food for the brain?

"Hmm, perhaps later," she answered him with bedevilment in her eye. "There's something else I'd _much_ rather to do with you first."

She gave him a cheeky wink and then, vanished.

 _Oh ho!_ The corners of Alucard's mouth curled up knowingly and he chased after her.

The vampire king re-appeared inside his sublevel quarters to find Integra sitting on his throne-like chair, one leg crossed over the other, arms upon on the armrests as if she owned the place. Well, she did own the place but that wasn't the point.

Alucard noticed how she often decided to share this space with him, especially if she had to be up in the middle of the day for business reasons. At last, she understood its allure now that she was a bloodsucker herself. It was dark and quiet down here, far from the midday sun where night creatures thrived until the brilliance of twilight returned.

Nonetheless, she did bring more charm to this room with the addition of a desk and a computer, a couple of paintings and a bookshelf. She also had his bathroom renovated so it did not resemble a 'prison stall' as she called it. It now had a fabulous bathtub with plenty of room for two.

Alucard had to admit it felt somewhat pleasant, these new beginnings.

From where he stood, he could see that she held a copy of _Lady Chatterley's Lover_ in one hand. Indeed, they still needed to finish that book, he thought with a wayward smirk. Alucard knew what sort of trouble they would get into if they read that book—Integra his naughty little instigator.

His sharp-toothed smile grew to wicked measures.

"My Queen, sitting upon her mighty throne ready to decide the fate of the world," Alucard shamelessly recited as if he were on stage in a Shakespearean play. He strode towards her and dramatically knelt on one knee in grievous fealty. "I beg of thee to spare my life and award me with a kiss even if I deserve nothing more than the burning rope of the gallows."

Amused by his antics, Integra was about to pass her decree, revealing Alucard's fate, when Seras Victoria appeared inside the room a few feet away.

At first glance, the draculina rolled her eyes when she saw her two masters, whom she discovered these days, could be real goofballs when they were in good moods. Evidently, their honeymoon phase was still going strong, although Seras was more than fine with that. Truthfully, she thought it was the sweetest thing she had ever seen. Never in her existence did she dream she would see either Alucard or Integra so perfectly at ease.

Seras cleared her throat to get their attention.

"Erm, I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" She wondered unsure when they looked over at her. "You both disappeared a little while ago and neither of you shared where you were going." The fellow blonde-haired woman sounded as if she were talking to badly behaved children. "I got worried. I looked for you guys all over the house."

"I do apologise for running off without a word, Seras." Integra sat back in the chair casually. "It was a spur-of-the-moment sort of thing and we didn't intend to be gone for that long."

"No problem, it's not a big deal, really." Seras answered with patient understanding and eyed Alucard strangely who was still kneeling on the floor like a peasant. "Um… what are you guys doing?"

"Can't you see? I'm begging for my life." Alucard professed as if it were obvious.

Seras arched one golden eyebrow dubiously.

"Never mind him," Integra insisted to Seras while waving a hand dismissively towards Alucard."He's just full of tomfoolery this evening."

Seras giggled. "Oh, I see."

Unruffled by their repartee, Alucard stood up and straightened to his towering full height. He shared his good news with Seras. "Integra successfully transformed into a stunning pale bat this evening."

"Oh, Seras, it was invigorating." Integra claimed unable to conceal her excitement. She told her closest female friend all the details about her first flight as a bat.

"That's amazing!" Seras cheered clasping her hands together, thrilled to hear Integra so worked up in happiness rather than vexation or sorrow. "Now I know why Master is acting so weird. Congratulations!"

"Thank you, Seras. Now, why were you looking for us?" Integra inquired sounding more businesslike.

Alucard waited to hear his fledgling's reply as well.

"Well, I was looking for you because Sir Hugh Irons telephoned a little while ago. He announced that he and his wife just had their baby. It was a boy. Seven pounds even—they named him Hugh, of course."

At that, Integra's face softened. "Of course, just like his father and grandfather… how wonderful for them. That is, indeed, wonderful news. I'll arrange for flowers to be sent."

"No need, I already took care of it," Seras disclosed with her hands behind her back, like a proud little soldier. "It wasn't a problem. I was busy going over a schedule for a new training exercise I want to share with the new anti-freak squad and Commander Lister. I think this exercise will really condition the squad with the upgraded equipment we gave them the other day. Their delay time should be cut in half."

At this information, Integra nodded impressed. "That's good to hear and thank you for sending Hugh's family those flowers. I really appreciate it. Honestly, I don't know what I'd do without you, Seras. Sir Gregory told me he is grateful to have you train and exercise the new squad. You don't know how relieved I am to know that we can depend on them and that they are making a real effort to work with Hellsing on this. Is there anything else you wish to tell me?"

"No, not really," Seras replied rocking back and forth on her heels. "It's kind of nice to have this reprieve, right? There's still talk of holy hunters and such but nothing we need to concern ourselves with really. I just needed to tell you about Sir Hugh before he called you himself and you didn't know what was going on. Thought it would be kind of embarrassing..."

"Yes, it would have been embarrassing. You have my thanks again, Seras."

"Alright, I'm finished interrupting your guys' fun time. I'll let you get back to your… odd ritual," Seras teased them good-naturedly.

"Excellent," Alucard injected with a sneer. "Now take that Frenchman with you when you go. If I wanted an audience I would have requested one."

" _Ce n'est pas juste!"_ The walls in the room suddenly bemoaned with a familiar disembodied voice. "Aww, come on, I was hoping to hear the ending of _Lady Chatterley's Lover._ Constance longs for her lover but they must keep apart. I must know if she gives up everything and chooses the grounds keeper or stays with her disabled aristocratic husband."

The room fell noxiously silent.

"Pip!" Seras bellowed, aghast. "Have you been listening in on Master Alucard and Sir Integra? That's not right. You're supposed to be busy protecting the mansion."

The ex-mercenary backpedaled quickly. "Wait. It came out the wrong way. I didn't mean it like that!" he professed loudly. "I always leave them alone before... you know… they do _stuff_. What kind of man do you take me for?"

"The snivelling kind," Alucard growled with displeasure. He was definitely not a kiss-and-tell sort of vampire.

Integra sighed. "Mr. Bernadotte, if you really want to know how the book ends, then perhaps you can read it for yourself. We're almost finished with it." She did not sound amused either and suggested. "Maybe Seras can read it to you."

"Hmm, that would be better than listening to him." Pip said referring to Alucard. "Especially when he reads the steamy scenes. No offense Alucard, but it's like having a man whispering erotic things into my ear." The ex-mercenary made a shuddering sound of repugnance. "I'd much rather listen to _ma choupinette_."

Seras knotted her blond brows. "Did you just call me a 'zucchini'?"

Pip groaned. "You have not been practicing your French, Seras."

While Pip quickly explained to Seras that she had _courgette_ confused with _choupinette_ , meaning 'my sweetheart', Integra was thinking to herself that one of the finest things about listening to Alucard read to her _was_ his wonderfully masculine voice. How sensual he could tell the romantic scenes, how passionately he spoke the dialogue. He always had a way with words and she did not want to inflate his ego any more than it already was, but Alucard did an old English book like that inimitable justice. It was like a fun form of foreplay and it always roused her passion.

Alucard found himself ignoring Seras and Pip. He cast a sneaky glance at his mistress, hearing her innermost thoughts about him.

Seras could sense the unspoken words in the room, too. And she felt incredibly guilty about it. They were imposing and the draculina knew they had overstayed their welcome. "Come on, Pip, I think we should go now. Master, I do hope Integra spares your wicked life," she teased before she vanished from the chambers, taking Pip along with her.

Forgetting all about that asinine conversation, Alucard mulishly resumed his position on one knee before his queen. He would not let anything or anyone ruin his fun.

"May I have that kiss now?"

Only, Integra appeared to be in deep thought, not really hearing Alucard's request. She sat back in the chair her crimson eyes gazing off in deep thought. What Seras just said before she left, stirred up an idea.

The nosferatu blinked uncertain. Was she looking at him or at a spot on the wall behind him? Alucard looked around and saw nothing. He waited for a response but got none. "Hello. Earth to Integra," Alucard muttered and grunted low in his throat when she still refused to look at him. "Don't tell me you are really going to sentence me to hang?"

At last, the Hellsing woman focused directly at him her eyes becoming darker. "That night at the opera ball, you said to me that one day you would show me your 'wicked black past' but that, it was only a secret known to vampires." Integra finally shared what was on her mind.

A more sombre expression replaced his playful one. "And do you think you are truly prepared for something like that?" Alucard retort.

"Please, Alucard," Integra admonished. "Do not treat me like a child. I know that I am merely a rookie in your eyes right now, but it is important to me. _You_ are important to me. You know everything there is to know about me and I'm ready to know everything there is about you," she said without a scrap of fear.

Alucard frowned and sat back on his haunches, tired of kneeling on the floor. He sighed.

"You know the other night I had a dream, a strange dream where I felt I was not inside my own body," Integra decided to share. She knew that he knew but they had yet to speak verbally about it. "I saw things, bits and pieces, from a time that was not my own. I was on a ship. I knew it was a ship because of the sound of lapping water against the hull. I could smell the ocean. But it was dark all around me, as if I were locked away like cargo. It made me feel claustrophobic. Then I could hear screaming. It sounded like the screams of terrified men. Death surrounded me foul and pungent."

Alucard wore a whimsical expression, looking away ruefully.

"That scene rings a _few_ bells." His reply was full of false innocence. Alucard glanced up at his woman still perched on his throne. "My love, I apologise for any unsettling visions I have inadvertently caused, but I'll have you know, I, too, had a similar experience. I dreamt that I was in the garden and Arthur came along and took my hand. We walked in the yard and down the lane under the midday sun beneath a canopy of willows. The sun felt _so_ real," he told her with a tone of longing in his voice. "It was springtime, I believe, and a ladybug landed on my hand. Arthur told me to whisper a little tale about flying home to the insect, and that if the ladybug should fly away, that it was a sign of good luck."

Integra smiled to herself at this tale. She loved that memory. "And did it fly away?"

"No." Alucard replied.

"That's right, it didn't." Integra sounded as indignant as he did. "I wanted as much good luck as I could get. I spent the rest of that summer collecting ladybugs in hopes they would do as I told them."

"And did they?"

"Yes, a few. But the idea wore off quickly and I soon realised the whole idea was a farce."

Alucard scoffed.

"Well, even if your blood is the reason I conjured up that strange dream on a ship, somehow… it's not the same. Tell me, how do I observe this past of yours?" Integra demanded to know.

"You have to drink my blood and view the memories within it," he answered frankly. "That is how it is done—just the same as when I do it to obtain information. It was never really a secret, Integra. You knew about this ability. However, it was a privilege that could never be yours unless you were to become a vampire."

"Oh." She said. "I see."

"I have nothing to hide from you. Nothing at all—I am yours _completely_. I… I just don't want to upset you," Alucard confessed.

Not one to be coddled, Integra pushed herself out of the chair and requested that Alucard be the one to take a seat. They switched places and once Alucard sat down, he patted his thigh, inviting her to return. With a compliant grin, Integra got comfortable on his lap and the king embraced his queen, holding her as if his life depended on it.

Alucard breathed in the scent of her hair as he removed his gloves and nosed into her platinum tresses, behind her ear. Then, he smoothed his bare hands over the fine material of her clothing covering her body. Her thin frame felt so delicate in his arms but her undead heart, beat with resolve and spirit. A deadly flower if tampered with afoul.

"I'll be taking that kiss, first and foremost," he insisted when she faced him, pressing his lips against her lethal petals, releasing a deep groan when she opened up to him.

With her legs strewn over the arm of the chair, Integra was reminiscent of the first time they did this, his kiss evoking her body to teem with desire. He was her sunlight now and she basked in his glory, tasting him with her tongue, drawing in his nectar. She closed her eyes and held onto him in return, grasping his hair, falling more in love.

When Alucard's mouth left hers, he pressed soft wet kisses along her jaw and over her face adoringly. Then he whispered into her ear, "Drink my blood, Integra. Drink it and truly know me. Let us not have any more secrets."

To reassure that he meant it, The No Life King tilted his head to the left, presenting his long pale throat to her in a show of daring submission.

Integra swallowed hungrily, her fangs aching at the sheer display of his offer.

It did not seem to matter that it was vampire blood on offer or human blood. Her eyes darted to the pulsing artery she needed to penetrate and she leaned in close, nosing up along the stretched column of his throat to the base of his earlobe. She gently bit the soft end of his ear before she withdrew and returned to the base of his neck, drawing the tip of her tongue precisely across the bloodletting vein. While she prepared herself, her hand snuck beneath his suit jacket and smoothed across his chest over his crisp white shirt.

Wearing a monstrous grin, Alucard sighed as she played with him.

His skin was cool and taut to taste and touch, delicious and dead. Integra had come to learn that the scent of blood within people smelled differently, some splendid and some rank. Alucard's blood scent drew her to him. It aroused her, she discovered. What also fascinated her was how his heart picked up in pace when she touched him, something she could not take notice of when she was human.

The minutia, the fine little details she had become privy to in this recent unlife were limitless. Being born again was a joke of an understatement.

Nevertheless, a part of her was a bit nervous about doing this and Integra wondered if it would become her Pandora's Box. That once she opened it she would regret what she discovered inside, that it would change her feelings towards the creature she gave her soul.

Yet, another part of her demanded she know the whole truth. They had come this far already, haven't they?

It annoyed her to hesitate like a knee-knocking soldier on the frontlines of battle. It was ridiculous. Integra pushed aside her worries and dug up her nerve, threading the fingers of her right hand into Alucard's thick black hair. She was a Hellsing _dammit_ and Hellsing's were curious individuals with a penchant for danger and a thirst for knowledge.

Integra's smirked. How could she pass up the opportunity for such a unique history lesson?

"My dear Count," she whispered tenderly into his ear, her cool breath ghosting across his skin like dry ice. "You make it so hard for me to resist."

The vampire king felt goose bumps rise up all over his body from the way she spoke to him, the way her voice reverberated in his ear, the way her lips brushed the fine hairs on his skin… the underlining threat of her words. He shivered in response but remained silent, more than willing to be her victim.

Integra's fingers curled, grabbing a fistful of his hair and firmly yanked, stretching the right side of his throat just a bit more. Then, she opened her jaws and sunk her teeth into her lover's flesh. Alucard's blood—no longer foul to her taste buds—spurt across her tongue, rich and sweet, thick like honey. It filled the recesses of her mouth and she swallowed, humming with pleasure.

Alucard furrowed his brows and gnashed his own fangs together at the initial bite, releasing a throaty snarl. The pain, it only lasted a moment before a different, more pleasant sensation took over. The delicious sensation of being sucked on spread over every inch of his being and he began to rumble in rapture.

"Mmmm, yes… close your eyes and relax your mind, my creature. Savour me."

Integra did as he requested. She let the history of him fill her mind.

At first glimpse, Integra shuddered and nearly released the seal her lips had on his neck. Images exploded before her eyes, spinning out of control. They filled her like quicksilver, little liquid beads branching out with scene after scene of beautiful things, terrible things… ancient things. There was so much to see, so many visions lost in the deluge of blood-soaked memories. Some of the visions lingered and some she barely had time to process.

It was like seeing his life told to her in cliff notes.

Alucard heard Integra moan as she reacted to what she saw. He felt her cling onto him harder, the hand in his hair nearly ripping it out.

For Integra, the edges of those blades fought against her vampire prince felt as if they had sliced over her own skin. She could feel the cold steel exposing the corded muscle beneath her flesh, her blood gushed out of the wounds, but she held on to him no matter how painful it felt. She held on no matter how horrific those forests of death, those grotesque bodies impaled on pikes for as far as the eye could see in scarlet fields of conquest.

"Don't stop," Alucard growled at her, his infamy laid bare before her eyes. "Not now. This is who I am. That is what I was."

Even though tears began to spill down her face, she bit down again, this time harder, refusing to let go, drawing out more blood.

The desperation. The obsession. The madness of rulers long dead. Their evil ipseity now nothing more than dust trampled. The victims and the lovers. Those murky Victorian nights. Her father and grandfather.

The torture…

The acceptance…

Integra saw it all. It all flowed into her.

She released Alucard from her inexorable bite. His venomous blood dripping from her chin and Integra gave way to a breathy sob of anguish. For a moment, she was overwrought by emotion that it was nearly impossible to form words. She was speechless as the information she had just absorbed sunk in and found niches to harbour themselves into, defensively trying to protect her sanity.

A look of wretchedness overcame Alucard's features when he gazed at the misery he forewarned her about and said to her gruffly. "Do not waste your precious tears on someone like me, Integra. I'm not worth it."

But Integra merely shook her head stubbornly. _"No, that's not true."_ She was able to tell him in mind.

Hrmph, why did he even bother? She never listened to him anyways. With a thoughtful scoff, Alucard leaned in and washed away the bloody tears from her face and chin with his tongue. "You're right, don't listen to me," he acknowledged. "Please, don't cry."

Feeling a bit calmer, Integra found her voice. "I can't help but cry, Alucard. Your life was filled with so much suffering and cruelty. You were… you were _so_ angry." His gentle licks felt so sweet that fresh tears gathered in her sad eyes and slipped down her cheeks again.

"Perhaps, but that was a different time. I was a different person," he said to her patiently and 'tsk'd' softly, leaning in once more to wash away her tears. "Is my life so tragic, Integra? I met you, did I not? I would live all those years over again and willingly accept all the madness again if it meant in the end of that nightmare… I would meet you, the little girl that stood up so bravely against a monster, my Countess."

She gazed at him adoringly. "My fate… Alucard," Integra whispered in return.

That brought a smile to the nosferatu's face. "Does that make me a lucky bastard then?" he quipped trying to lighten to mood, thinking back to the conversation they once had about fate in this chair the last time they sat in it together.

"Don't let it get to your big head," she warned.

He replied his eyes crested with mischief, "Too late, it already has."

This time it was her turn to smile and Integra found herself staring at her vampire companion in a completely new light. The mysterious box of horrors lay open, emptied. Its entrails spilled on the floor in a big old mess. But she did not feel any less about Alucard now that she knew the bitter truth. Now that she had felt his pain for herself.

In fact, she only yearned to start anew and fill his head with new memories, as well as her own.

"What _am_ I going to do with you?" She wondered, bringing her hand up to his face, brushing her thumb ever so gently across his velvet lips. Her eyes went to his mouth with thoughts of kissing it.

"How about you read my mind and I'll tell you," Alucard hinted wickedly.

A moment passed between them that was anything but silent, speaking to one another telepathically.

She chided with a haughty sniff, "Depraved beast."

"Beautiful freak," he countered playfully.

With hands on either side of his face, Integra urgently pressed her lips against his and Alucard held her fast and kissed her back just as fiercely. He let his fingers rake into her blonde hair passionately, holding her to him as he lavished feverish kisses on her mouth.

They clung to each other, emotions driven high after sharing such an evincive moment regarding his past. Integra felt determined to assure Alucard that she did not care for him any less or that she thought poorly of him for what he had done centuries ago.

As he placed sporadic kisses over her chin and face, Integra murmured. "I'll never let you feel that kind of loneliness ever again, Alucard."

He gave a breathy reply across her cheek, "The same could be said about you."

With an agreeable sigh, Integra met his mouth again with hers, ceasing further speech with a joining of lips. Indeed, she did not take into account how lonely her life has been, either. She strove to put it behind them and instead, fulfill their immeasurable need for each other with shameless pleasure.

"I want you," she breathed.

Her hand left his face and she unabashedly pawed across the front of his trousers, feeling the substantial erection straining beneath the cloth. Oddly, the fabric felt different to her touch, she did not feel any zipper or buttons. As she kissed her handsome monster, she felt something tickling her face.

Alucard began to chuckle deep in his throat even as they kissed.

This chuckle rung with certain mischievousness, a certain lewdness and Integra pulled back to see that she was kissing the former Wallachian prince. Alucard had changed his form to look as he did as a big brawny human, his dark hair long and wavy. His beautiful blue eyes appearing lost in a sea of time. Kiss-tender lips curled up into an errant smirk making his moustache twitch with amusement.

Her hand was still on his crotch. "Like I said, you are a _depraved beast._ I don't feel any difference at all really," she assured him, thinking of the telepathic conversation they just had.

"Do not be so rash to make a decision," he cooed and closed his eyes. Flexing his hips, he pressed up into her hand begging for more friction. "You started it."

"I did no such thing! You were the one that read my private thoughts and now you just can't leave it alone," she accused hotly and looked over him with a wry smirk. Alucard was not wearing his full armour just a dark tunic, the kind he might wear beneath battle armour and a pair of black breeches with a pair of tall riding boots. It would seem as if he left the sword behind, too.

During their telepathic conversation, he insisted that she intimately explore him in his human form. He urged that his 'endowments' were more ample in the 15th century.

"You like it, Integra. Don't lie to me."

Integra scowled as her cheeks reddened. "Next you'll be sending me one of those infamous todger photos over the phone."

"You mean you haven't already got the ones I sent you?"

Her mouth dropped open. _"Wha…?"_

Alucard wore an unusual look of alarm. "Oh dear, it would seem I have sent them to the wrong number…"

"OH! You are _worse_ than a depraved beast!" Integra clamoured. "I… I can't even begin to describe it."

He started laughing at how easy it was to rile her up, "I'm merely teasing you. I would never do such a thing." He would be lying if he said it never crossed his mind at least once, however. "Calm down…"

"Don't tell me to calm down, you fool!"

She shook her head at his deviance and gazed at his mortal countenance. She seriously could not believe him sometimes, he could be outright _horrible_. On the other hand, Alucard did successfully lighten the mood. Perhaps his size was slightly different in this form but she would never admit it. While she caressed him, her other hand sought to touch the hair on his face, fingers tracing over his moustache and the tuft of coarse dark hair on his chin.

Alucard tried to bite her finger but she pulled it away just in time.

"Behave," she chided and warned him. "Let me look at you or you can go play by yourself."

That shut him up.

Satisfied that Alucard would stop interrupting her intriguing inquisition. Integra continued to examine him at her leisure. Seeing him like this, made her think of his dark past which was still painfully fresh in her mind after drinking his blood. She understood that he rarely took on this form out of self-loathing, this form reminding him of his blind credence and the loss of his humanity.

She brushed lengthy strands of black hair out his face with the tips of her fingers, while her other hand slipped under the waistband of his breeches, grabbing a handful of aroused flesh.

Alucard moaned deeply and was about to speak, but she told him to hush.

Integra noticed Alucard was a lot furrier in his Vlad form and she tried to be careful as she stroked him. Feeling impertinent, Integra leaned in to kiss his cheek and then his lips, hovering there for a moment to savour his moist tongue with her own. Then she left his mouth and trailed her tongue along his throat that no longer bore the marks of her recent bite.

"You know, no matter what form you take you will always be _my_ Alucard," she assured him as she kissed over the ridge of his collarbone.

Alucard obediently stayed silent but his crimson eyes shone with dark awe.

"You must be _very_ hungry after I drank so much of your blood," she proposed softly, taking her hand out of his trousers and removing her lips from his collar. She pushed herself up and climbed off his lap, standing before him as he sat in the chair.

"What do you plan to do about it?" he wondered, looking up at her carefully, breaking his code of silence.

Eternal were Integra's crimson eyes, burning with such intensity as she gazed at her fetching raven-haired companion. Her lover. Her friend. Alucard was not her servant anymore.

Those days were behind them.

The Hellsing vampire skillfully morphed one hand to grow sharp claws like that of some kind of demon, a trick she was now a master of, and used one nail one Alucard's shirt like a butcher's knife. She sliced the front his tunic clean open and exposed his bare chest. As she spread her hands, one still gnarly with talons across his broad chest, it returned to its normal human shape. She let her hands wander, let her thumbs flick over his nipples and smooth over the rigid expanse of his hard abdomen.

Integra got to her knees.

With a little help from Alucard, she worked his trousers down to mid-thigh, exposing his swollen arousal.

Sitting bare-assed on his throne, Alucard's mouth parted as he waited on tenterhooks at what she intended to do to him. Her hands smoothed across his thighs and one hand wrapped around his manhood.

She leaned in.

He held his breath.

When her lips wrapped around him he twitched and groaned, letting his head fall back against the tall backing of the chair. _Oh, yes!_ The sensation she provoked shot throughout his entire being like an electric jolt.

Alucard lifted his head to observe her noisily tending to him, her teeth grazing delicately. He was swooning. My, yes, she had _definitely_ gotten better at this. And to add to his pleasure, she stretched out an arm, bracing it against his chest, offering her wrist to him.

They did not need to speak to understand what she was presenting.

Swiftly, he changed back into his red Count form, her eyes glancing up at him knowingly while he grabbed her arm delicately with both his hands and sunk his teeth into her wrist like ripe fruit. He groaned blissfully savouring some of the blood he had lost earlier while she sucked on his turgid length.

Integra winced a little, but there was something about the pain and the pleasure, that drove her to the brinks of other realms. Intimacy with Alucard was definitely no ordinary mortal endeavour and this form of gratification, certainly did not disappoint the Hellsing director. In fact, she was learning all kinds of unique and remarkable things about her body and her sexuality.

Integra produced a pleasurable sound as Alucard drank from her. She felt herself becoming throbbing and wet.

By the pitch of her moans and the eagerness in which she used her tongue on him, Alucard stopped drinking her blood. He licked the wrist wound clean until it began to heal up. Then, he released her arm and urged her to stand.

Integra gave him one last lick, drawing her tongue generously from base to tip before she stood up, shrugging off her suit jacket, which dropped to the floor aimlessly. She stood silent and waited with a spry expression as Alucard reached out to unravel her cravat. He unbuttoned her shirt and undid her trousers with his nimble gloveless fingers, allowing them to slip to the floor and puddle around her feet.

 _Oh, yes!_ The vampire queen knew what was coming next and she eagerly stepped out of her dark trousers, taking off her shirt and shoes along the way.

Hands on her hips, Alucard turned her around so her back was to him. He yanked her lacy black panties down to her knees and squeezed her bottom before she carefully straddled over his thighs, impaling herself deeply with his body.

She cried out resplendently.

Panties stretched beyond repair between her legs, Integra placed her hands on the armrests of the chair and perched her feet on Alucard's knees. Her staunchly king held her by the waist and started thrusting up into her, bouncing her on his lap, her hair shivering across his face.

Alucard blew wisps of platinum out of his mouth and drove himself into her savagely. "Didn't I say one day that I would have you in this chair, my Queen?"

"Mmmhmm…" was all she managed.

The nosferatu simply chuckled as he enjoyed his lover's body, enjoyed how they kept discovering new ways to please each other. This woman… he gave it to her _hard_. He gave it to her until Integra clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a squeal. He gave it to her until she came all over his cock. Even then, while she soared and mewled he picked her up without ever leaving her moist embrace and set her on his chair.

Integra clutched the back of the chair, kneeling on the seat of the throne. Alucard flung his obstructive, now hindering red coat off in haste, his trousers bunched about his ankles as he slammed into her, skin smacking off skin, panting with heavenly exertion.

Integra gave into a second orgasm, which was even fiercer than the first one.

"Lovely," Alucard panted, feeling her tightening all around him. Oh, the way she gave herself to him after all the horror she witnessed of his past nearly brought tears of his own to his blood red eyes. "So beautiful…"

The throne chair rocked and creaked. There was even a strange splintering sound but no one was paying attention to that. Instead, the two vampires screwed like rabbits until Alucard reached his peak and tossed his head back, snarling out his climax viciously.

Integra got to enjoy a second dose of Alucard's blood this evening, even if it was absorbed in such an unconventional manner. As far as she was concerned, she was a vampire and blood was blood.

Alucard withdrew and Integra curled up into the chair, thoroughly spent, pulling her legs up to her body and resting her feet on the seat of the chair. She was completely naked and Alucard watched her with a twinkle in his eye.

"So, have we accomplished all of our moonlight desires this evening?" he wondered cheekily, collecting his trousers from the floor. He pulled them on and fixed the zipper.

Integra cracked open one lazy eye at him, still wallowing in the aftermath of their lovemaking. She murmured huskily, "Not all of them, no."

_"No?"_

"No."

The king of vampires found the answer in her mind. "Oh yes, of course, you initially wanted me to read the final chapter of _Lady Chatterley's Lover_."

Integra smiled softly in response. "Don't let Pip ruin it for you. I love listening to you read."

He scoffed. "That jackass can't possibly ruin it for me. Your opinion is the only one I really care about—I do it for you, you know. "

"Well, you enjoy it, too, right?"

"Of course, but as I mentioned, I have read that novel numerous times. I know how the tale ends." Alucard picked up his red coat. He walked over, tossing it over the back of the new computer chair, which promptly crashed over due to the weight of the guns inside the coat.

Integra snickered at his blunder. "Good job," she teased and watched Alucard retrieve the coat with a disgruntled murmur. She continued to twitter as he hung it up on its proper hook by the wardrobe and straightened the fallen computer chair on his way back. "Let's finish the book and then… I really should go get some work done. I have a bunch of emails to reply to."

"As you wish," he offered.

Integra straightened up on Alucard's throne and stood. She fixed her twisted underwear and collected her own trousers off the floor.

The old vampire watched her get dressed, thinking how adorable she sounded after they made love. Her voice was always perfectly tranquil and soft spoken. He twittered to himself, he was right about what he said earlier, being a vampire suited her.

Once they dressed in a more respectable manner, Alucard vanished and returned in two winks with two packs of donated blood. He handed one to his blushing bride and they curled up on his trusty old chair again, her on his lap.

As much as he loved having Integra seated on his lap, he thought it might be pleasant if she were to get her own chair to sit in, one next to his, like a proper king and queen.

"Pft! That's ridiculous," she muttered incredulously at his thoughts. "Not a chance."

He shrugged. "It was just an idea," he said and picked up the unfinished novel from the small side table.

Integra bit the end of the tube off her blood bag and offered to open Alucard's for him too, while he found the dog-eared page they left off in the book. Handing his dinner back to him, she rest her head upon Alucard's sturdy shoulder and sipped quietly on her own meal.

Perfect.

The Hellsing woman sighed with contentment and waited patiently while Alucard, who was a little less civil about his meal, gulped it down like a hungry nomad. Oh well, it just meant she would not have to wait long to listen to the story, which was a good thing because she had to know how it ended as badly as Pip did.

After setting the empty blood bag down on his table, Alucard held Integra close to him with one arm and began to read...

_"Ours is essentially a tragic age, so we refuse to take it tragically. The cataclysm has happened, we are among the ruins, we start to build up new little habitats, to have new little hopes. It is rather hard work: there is now no smooth road into the future: but we go round, or scramble over the obstacles. We've got to live, no matter how many skies have fallen."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it. Everyone is content. Life is beautiful... unlife that is *smirks* I hope you enjoyed this Bonus chapter as well as the story! Thanks so much for reading to the end. It has been an amazing ride. I hope to write more in the future after my brain recharges and enjoys some books I've been neglecting along with some video games lol!
> 
> Many many thanks to readers and commenters and bookmarkers! You have been a delight and it wouldn't be as much fun without you! I cherish your comments and well wishes. Thanks again for taking the time to leave me your thoughts!
> 
> Until we meet again!


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